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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993821">The Choices We Make</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLadyRae/pseuds/GreyLadyRae'>GreyLadyRae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>True Blood (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:22:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLadyRae/pseuds/GreyLadyRae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Marnie has been defeated, Sookie faces a choice- Bill, Eric, or leaving them both. What if Sookie decided to take a quick break, to actually think through the decisions she's been making, and to get the information she needs to make an informed choice? How will that change the course of Bon Temps history?</p><p>This picks up in the Season 4 finale and scraps literally everything after. No Authority, no Sanguinistas. Vamp Camp and Hep V are a possibility in future chapters, but it won't look anything like the show.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eric Northman/Sookie Stackhouse, Pam Swynford De Beaufort/Tara Thornton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Currently Unbeta'd. Any Swedish terms of endearment are nabbed from SVM books and other fics, so hopefully Eric isn't actually calling her a twat. To my knowledge - alskare = lover, alskade = beloved, jag alskar dig = I love you. I own nothing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t stand this anymore, it’s like being ripped in half. No matter what I do somebody I love gets hurt.” Two sets of fangs retracted, and Bill stood.</p><p>“Sookie, I just want for you to be happy, and if being with Eric is what make you happy, then you have my blessing.” Sookie looked to him, her first love, her first man, her first everything. Eric rose and stood before her, smiling.<br/>
“See, it’s ok, Sookie, Bill’s fine with it.” She looked down, feeling torn, “Bill had his chance, he blew it, he - he lied to you.” “To protect me, and I lied to him to protect you, and you’ve lied to both of us too. What a mess.” Sookie stepped back from Eric, and sat down, putting her head in her hands. </p><p>“I just, it’s been so much so quickly. I know for you two it’s been over a year since Russell, but that was two weeks ago for me. I was attacked by someone I trusted and a psychopath,” Eric winced, but Sookie didn’t seem to notice and kept on, “learned my fiancé wasn’t even close to who I thought he was and our whole relationship was built on a lie, then I spent 15 minutes being chased by horrifying fairies, and then get dropped back to watch my grandfather die, I don’t own my home, everyone believed me dead, and then witches! Just this week I’ve been nearly burned to death in a circle of magic fire, nearly blown up - though I understand that one - and shot.” At this Eric growled and dropped to his knees in front of her.</p><p>“When were you shot?”<br/>
“At the battle with the witches in the cemetery. Alcide got me out, and Bill healed me so I’m fine. Put your scary face away, I’m okay, I promise.” Sookie took his hand as Eric turned and narrowed his eyes at Bill. “Really, I’m fine now. It’s just been a lot. And I’m tired. I just need some time to rest, and figure out what I want and what’s best for me, and I need you two to not spend the whole time treating it like a pissing contest. I don’t know why you two have this animosity, and I don’t expect you to ever be best friends, but can we stop with sniping at each other? Please?”</p><p>Eric lifted the hand he was still holding and pressed a kiss to the back of it, “Of course, alskare, I will behave my self while you take the time you need.” Bill glared at Eric’s term of endearment, but quickly schooled his face and walked forward to stroke Sookie’s hair. “I will always give you what you ask for, my Sookie. You know this.” </p><p>“Thank you both” Sookie rose from the chair and grabbed her purse. “I need to get home, check on Tara and Lafayette. Um, Eric, can you walk me home? After everything I don’t really want to walk through the cemetery alone, and I’m pretty sure I have clothes you can use at my house anyway,” she said, gesturing to the robe he still wore, “I can’t imagine you want to fly back to Shreveport like that.” Eric laughed and grinned widely, “What, don’t want me to give the fine ladies of Louisiana one last chance at a peek before it belongs to one set of eyes only, alskare?” He waggled his eyebrows outrageously while Sookie rolled her eyes. “Can it, Casanova. I bet you have a bank account set aside strictly for indecent exposure bail money, don’t you?” She pushed him towards the door and turned back to the civil war veteran, “thank you again, Bill, I mean it. I’ll talk to you soon.” She smiled a sad smile and followed the Viking out the door. </p><p>Sookie and Eric walked quietly through the rows of graves, each slightly lost to their own thoughts. She had been through so much, Eric thought to himself, and while he was used to the kind of mayhem and violence that so much of the supernatural world was based in, it had been crisis after crisis at an alarming rate in this backwater town. He could give her time, after all he had it in abundance. And now that he knew that it was love he felt, not just attraction or the need to possess, he would do everything in his power to show her that being his was the best choice for her. He could feel her turmoil through the fledgling bond they shared, and the muddiness of her feelings made sense now that he knew Compton had gotten more blood in her. He had felt when she returned from Faerie that her connection with the younger vampire was weakening, and when they exchanged in the cubby, Eric’s much older blood, and the start of the bond should have overridden any lingering connections. Looking back with the full knowledge of his thousand years, he was astounded that she was as independent as she was, given the excessive amount of Compton’s blood he had felt in her system when they exchanged. The magic of Faerie had helped quite a bit by the time she returned, but Eric knew it was almost miraculous that she had listened to him at all when he told her of Bill’s deceptions the night she disappeared. </p><p>Eric’s musings were interrupted when Sookie piped up next him,<br/>
“Can you give me Isabel’s number?” Surprised, Eric stopped and looked at her. “Isabel? In Texas?” He asked. “Yeah. I, uh, I have some questions, you know, one girl to another.” He arched an eyebrow, “What kind of questions? Can you not ask them of Tara, or the girls from the shifter’s bar?”<br/>
“No, these are more…vampire-girl questions. I’d normally try to ask Pam, but I don’t think she’s too happy at me at the moment. Not that I blame her, of course, you were about to let Bill kill you to save me, which was just… just… no absolutely not. You are not allowed to do that.” Sookie poked Eric chest with one finger. “You gotta promise you’re not going to scare Pam or me like that ever again. And you gotta apologize to Pam. Whatever her intentions were, she saved all our lives with that explosion and you shouldn’t be mad at her” Eric glared. “I mean it, Eric. I don’t know that I would have done quite the same - I wouldn’t have though of a rocket launcher personally - but I respect the hell out of her for doing whatever it took to make sure the person she loves most didn’t hand himself over to die.” Eric narrowed his eyes at her for a second,<br/>
“Fine. I will speak to Pamela. I will probably yell at her still, because I can’t have her putting the life of the one I love most in danger to save me, but I will make sure she and I are…ok.”<br/>
“Thank you,” Sookie smiled, “now, Isabel’s number?” The Viking just looked down at her, the demand to know what kind of questions clear in his eyes. “Ugh, you are impossible,” Sookie groaned. “I want to ask about vampire and human relationships, and sharing blood. She’s the only other person I know who’s been in one, and I want some unbiased perspective and information. Most of what I know comes from when Bill was still being dishonest with me, and I feel like I can trust Isabel. Godric did, and I trust his judgement.” There was a brief flicker of pain through the bond at Godric’s name, two sensations of grief echoing back and forth, but laced with Eric’s amazement at the high regard Sookie held for his maker.<br/>
“He would have been honored to have your trust, as will Isabel. Here, give me your phone.” She handed the phone from her purse and he quickly keyed in the number before handing it back. He lightly kissed her forehead when she smiled at him, and then started walking. “Come on, alskade, let’s get you home.” </p><p>As they approached the edge of the cemetery, where the woods opened to cleared yard, Eric stopped again, and held his arm out to stop Sookie. “Eric, what is it?” She watched his nostrils flare as his took a deep breath in. “Were,” he hissed, “not Alcide, but carrying his scent in addition to her own.” “Debbie? What would Debbie be doing here this time of night?” Sookie tried to start forward again, but Eric stopped her. “Call Alcide. She carries the pack master’s scent with Alcide’s which can’t be anything good.” Sookie looked at him for a second, and then closed her eyes.<br/>
“She’s furious. And strung out on V. She blames me for Alcide abjuring her? Whatever that means. She’s gonna.. Eric! She’s got a gun! Tara and Lafayette are in the house and she’s…” Bang! A single shot rang out in the night and Eric was off before Sookie could blink. As she ran towards the house, Sookie saw another figure streaking in the front door. The void was moving too quick to judge, but it felt familiar - either Pam or Jessica she figured, so she kept running forward. Before she reached the porch, she heard Debbie’s thoughts wink out of existence, and she slammed her shields up before she could torture herself looking for Tara and Lafayette’s minds. Skidding into the kitchen, she found Eric, Pam, and Lafayette crouched around Tara. </p><p>“Why isn’t it working? I’s thought you said blood would heal her, make her better? Whys ain’t she healing?” Lafayette screamed, and Sookie saw that Pam had her bloodied wrist over Tara’s motionless mouth.<br/>
“She might be too far gone for the blood to heal her. If that is the case the only way to save her would be to turn her.” At this, Eric looked up from Lafayette to Sookie, “I will not make this decision for your friend. You two must make this choice.” Lafayette looked at Sookie with tears in his eyes, “She’ll hate us, hooker. But I’s can’t lose anyone else. I’s can’t.” Sookie just nodded, her own tears starting to flow.<br/>
Eric reached for Sookie’s hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Pam will need to drain the rest of her blood before feeding Tara her own.” Sookie looked up at him, surprised, “Pam’s going to turn her?” “Yes, alskade. Pam is old enough now to be a maker, and a new born requires nearly full time attention for their first decade or so. The relationship between a new born and their maker is very…. close, and if I were to turn her, I fear that would put undue strain on your friendship with Tara and your relationship with me.” Sookie searched his eyes for a second before turning to Pam, “I know you hate me Pam, and I deserve that, and I don’t want to force you into being a maker, but please, please save Tara.” Pam stared hard at Sookie, then smirked, “Don’t get your pixie panties in a twist, fairy princess. I’ll bring dear Tara over. But not for you, I’m doing this because I want to, understand?” And then, in a move that was clearly just to avoid the hug she was sure Sookie was gearing up towards, Pam ducked her head to Tara’s throat and began to drink.<br/>
Eric stood, and held his hands out for Sookie and Lafayette. “Come, we can go get things ready for them to go to ground.” Though Sookie and Lafayette functioned more like zombies than people, they were able to get a fresh grave dug for Pam and Tara while Eric dressed in his clothes left in the cubby, and he buried Debbie’s body in another recent burial in the cemetery. When the pair had been put to ground, Sookie started for the house, muttering to herself about cleaning supplies. </p><p>Eric looked to Lafayette, “What is she on about? Is she really going to try to clean that blood herself?”<br/>
“Course she is. Did it after Gran too. She won’t leave Gran’s house a mess, and it ain’t like nobody else gonna do it for her.” Eric scowled, and pulled out his phone, texting furiously.<br/>
“What do you mean, after Gran?”<br/>
“Ya know, her Gran was killed by that fangbanger killer, rat bastard Rene. He strangled the other girls, but Gran he…he cut her up bad. Andy says he figure Rene was extra mads cuz he came for Sookie but she wasn’t there, sos he took it out on Gran.”<br/>
“Why was he after Sookie?”<br/>
“I means, it was pretty well known around town that she was seein’ Vampire Bill by then. Shoot, he even woke and tried to walk during the day to come get Sookie, when Rene done come after her after that. Didn’t help none, Sookie already kilt Rene, but I think it made her feel better that he tried.” Eric looked thoughtful for a moment, but before he could ask anymore questions, a work van pulled up the drive. He nodded to Lafayette, then blurred into the house.<br/>
“Sookie.” She looked up from the cupboard she’d been digging through, a pile of cleaning agents at her feet. “I have cleaners here who will take care of the kitchen.” She opened her mouth to object, but he held a hand up, “I know, I’m high-handed. You are perfectly capable of taking care of your own home. But there is very little I can do to make this situation better for you, so please let me do this one small thing.” Sookie nodded, smiling a very small, watery smile at him. “Thank you,” she whispered. Holding out his hand, he pulled her up and to his chest. “Think nothing of it, alskade” he murmured into her hair, “let’s leave this to the professionals, you and mr. Reynolds both need to get some rest.” Sookie looked up at him without moving her head from his chest,<br/>
“Will you, I mean, can you, um please stay? I’m, I’m not making a choice or promises, but I just, please?” She buried her face in the fabric of his cutoff hoodie. Smoothing a big hand down her back, he laid his cheek on the crown of her head, “Of course, alskade. I will keep you safe.” He held her silently for a moment, “Would you like to stay in the cubby with me for the day? We can make up a cot for Mr. Reynolds down there too, if you’d like to keep him close through the day as well” Sookie pulled back slightly in shock stare fix her eyes on Erics. “You’d trust Lala in the cubby with us while you died for the day?”<br/>
“Not really, but I trust you’ll keep me safe, as I do you.” Sookie’s eyes started to well up again, so Eric quickly kissed her forehead, “Go get yourself ready for bed, I’ll get some extra blankets into the cubby and will meet you both down there.”</p><p>Sookie jumped into the shower; she didn’t think she had gotten any blood on her, but she wasn’t willing to go to bed with even the possibility that she’d find some of Tara or Debbie on her when she woke. As the hot water pounded on the tight muscles in her neck, she wondered about Eric’s behavior. The way he’d been since she untied him from the stake Marnie tried to burn him on had been much more like amnesia Eric, her Eric, than she expected. She had thought, that now with his memories back and out from under Marnie’s control, he’d go back to being the arrogant, insufferable jerk she’d always known. But tonight he’d been just as flirtatious and ridiculous as always, as high-handed and protective, but he was gentle about it. He trusted her judgement and didn’t demand anything of her, just asked that she let him help. What if this is how Eric truly was? Amnesia had shown her the type of man Eric was without a millennia of politics and survival to cloud his personality, without centuries of masking his emotions and attachments; tonight seemed like Eric had all those, but was letting her see behind them. Like he was making the choice to trust her with his heart, his very being. It both warmed and terrified her that he trusted her that much.<br/>
And then there was Bill. Bill who had been her first love, her first relationship, the first to see her ability as something to celebrate, not as a deformity. But he was also the one who had lied from the very beginning, about who he was and why he wanted her. He had broken her heart. She stopped suddenly. Two weeks ago, she found out everything she had thought was true was a lie - Eric had found out and forced Bill to confess to her on her front porch. It was what drove her to Faerie. When she came back, her heart was still broken, and she was definitely still angry. And she hadn’t thought about Bill at all during the time she had Amnesia Eric, she’d not felt even the slightest bit bad lying to Bill’s face to keep him from seeing Eric at less than his strongest. In fact, she realized, she hadn’t thought about still loving Bill until last night after she got shot. After Bill gave her blood to heal her. This, this was why she definitely needed to talk to Isabel. She needed someone who would tell her the truth about what vampire blood could do to a human, someone with no agenda of their own as far as she went. She had gone to Eric when she had doubts about Bill, before Russell and the truth coming out, but now she had even more questions with Eric’s blood - what was that snowy bed place about? - so she needed someone outside the situation. </p><p>She finished her shower, and rushed through the rest of her nightly routine. Grabbing a notebook, pen, and a water bottle, she made her way down to the living room where the door to the cubby was located. Stretching her gift, she could feel Eric’s void and Lala’s mind both in the cubby already, so she checked that the doors were all locked and turned out the lights before climbing down the ladder. Eric had found a blowup mattress and made it up on the floor of the cubby next to the ladder, where Lala was stretched out, more than halfway to sleep. With a curious look to her friend, she wove her way to the turned down side of Eric’s tiny twin bed and climbed in, tucking into the curve of Eric’s waiting frame.<br/>
“He took a couple valium already. He should stay asleep for most of the day.”<br/>
“That’s probably good, he needs the rest. I can’t even begin to imagine how he’s holding it together. Did you know Marnie killed Jesus while she was possessing Lafayette? He was so good for Lala, you could see how happy they made each other.” Sookie paused, weighing her next words carefully, “Eric, I don’t know yet where you and I are going from here, but trouble seems to follow me around like a bad penny, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything were to happen to you. I need you to promise me that you’ll protect yourself, even if that means protecting yourself from me.” She looked up, her chocolate eyes meeting his blue, letting him see just how serious she was. Eric was quiet for a moment. He knew, had she asked this of him a year ago, making this promise would have been moot, of course he’d protect himself above all else. But now, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to walk away from her, even if it meant his true death.<br/>
“I can’t make that promise, Sookie, I already promised that I’d never lie to you. But I can promise to do all that I can to keep us both safe, to make sure that you never see the world without the both of us in it.” It wasn’t quite what she wanted, but it would have to be good enough, as before her next breath he had succumbed to the dawn.</p><p>Sookie slept until mid-afternoon, later than she typically would like, but given the events of the past few days, she figured she had earned a good sleeping-in. Lafayette was still asleep on his makeshift bed, and Eric was still unmoving, one heavy arm slung across her waist. She knew Eric wouldn’t want her leaving the cubby until he woke, but human needs didn’t care about potential dangers, so she wiggled herself out and climbed the ladder up to the main house. After tending to being human, she walked into the kitchen to grab a snack before heading back down. The kitchen was immaculate, just as it had been when she left for work the night before, as if two horrible deaths hadn’t occurred there last night. The blonde blew out a shaky breath. Though she felt a little guilty for allowing strangers to clean her gran’s home, she mostly felt relieved that she didn’t have to spend another night on her knees scrubbing the blood of a loved one from a floor she’d have to cross every day. She thought back to the words her Gran had left her alone with before crossing back over, that there was nothing wrong with being alone. At the time, she feared her Gran meant that she should give up both Bill and Eric, since she didn’t think she could choose between them. But now she wondered if her Gran had been talking about her romantic life at all. She had spent her whole life thinking she was the only person like her, and she tried so hard for so long to pretend she wasn’t different, that she wasn’t alone in her ability. But now, having met other people, or fairies, as it were, that were like her, she wondered if Gran meant that there’s nothing wrong with being with the ones that love and support you even if you are alone in what makes you different. She sure hoped so, because the idea that her future was either to spend her whole life pretending to be “normal” or to join with the other hybrids back in Faerie, she wasn’t sure she would want a future at all. Here and now, with Eric and Lafayette, knowing Tara and Pam were close by, Sookie never felt further from alone. </p><p>That brought her back to the choice she would have to make - she knew they had both agreed to give her time, but she didn’t want to lead either of them along for too long. With that in mind, she went back to the cubby, grabbed her notebook, and wiggled herself back under Eric’s arm with her back against the headboard. She wanted to put together a list of questions she had for Isabel so that she wouldn’t miss anything, and so that she would waste any of the vampiress’ time. She was sure that as the new(ish) Sheriff of a big Area like Dallas, Isabel would be very busy. By the time Eric started to stir just before sunset, she thought her list looked pretty complete<br/>
When do vampires typically give blood to humans?<br/>
What physical effects does vampire blood have on a human?<br/>
How is this different from V use?<br/>
Are there mental/emotional effects to vampire blood?<br/>
Does the age of the vampire change how their blood affects a human?<br/>
Can vampire blood cause hallucinations?<br/>
What happens if blood is drank from the vampire and human at the same time?<br/>
What does it mean when a vampire says a human is “mine”?<br/>
Can a vampire higher in the hierarchy take a human from their underling?<br/>
She quickly closed her notebook and put it to the side. She’d call Isabel a little later in the evening, and while she’d be happy to discuss the answers she got to her questions with Eric, she wanted to talk them through with Isabel first.</p><p>“Mmmmm, a vampire could get used to rising like this, alskare. Though I’d like it even better if you were wearing less clothing.” Eric grinned into her hip as the fingers of the hand that had been across her lap started trying to sneak their way up the leg of her sleep shorts. A quick slap on his wrist had Eric faux-pouting and Sookie grinning right back.<br/>
“Now, now, mister, none of that. Lafayette is still right there, and I am still a lady.”<br/>
“A cruel, teasing lady” Eric winked and stood, stretching to his full height. “I’ll need to check in at Fangtasia tonight, I’ve been gone for too many nights, and Pam will need to be with Tara. Would you like me to come back after the club closes tonight?” Sookie thought for a moment.<br/>
“No, I think it kinda defeats the purpose of asking for time and space if you’re staying over at my house every night. I needed you to stay last night, and I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am, but I do need to think.”<br/>
“Of course, alskade. I will give you time, as we agreed.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Pam should be rising shortly. Tara will likely not rise until a little later in the night, given the trauma of her turning. I checked your fridge last night, and you have plenty of trublood to get Tara through the initial thirst. Pam will have more at her house, so don’t worry about that. I would make sure that both you and Mr. Reynolds are back fairly far, and down wind when she rises. Pam will likely tell you all this, but just in case. We don’t want Tara trying to eat you first thing. Call if you need me, yes?”<br/>
“I will,” Sookie stood and threw her arms around Eric’s waist,” Thank you, Eric, for everything”<br/>
“Of course, min alskade, I will see you soon.” With one last kiss to the top of her head, Eric flew up and out of the cubby. By the time Sookie climbed up the ladder, full dark had fallen and Eric was in the sky back to Shreveport. </p><p>Seeing that Pam had not yet risen, Sookie dashed upstairs to change. Lounging around all day in her pajamas had been nice, but she wanted to be ready for anything Tara could possibly need. Tossing on a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt in her drawer, Sookie charged back downstairs into the kitchen, stopping inches from crashing into Pam.<br/>
“Are you going for literal wrecking ball, rather than just metaphorical tonight then?” Pam snarked.<br/>
“I’m sorry, I was trying to be down here to get the blood ready for when you two rose. Is she..” Sookie trailed off, not quite sure how to ask.<br/>
“I can feel the maker-child bond growing, but she’s not risen yet. I don’t know how she’ll be when she does, though. The bond is telling me nothing about her state beyond that she is undead.” Sookie grabbed a couple trubloods from the fridge and popped them in the microwave.<br/>
“Well thats, I guess that’s as good as I can ask for at the moment, isn’t it. Sure beats the alternative anyways. Do you need to be out there waiting for her, I can bring these out when they’re done.” Sookie turned back to Pam, to find the petite vampire staring at her phone. “Pam, were you listening, I can bring these out-“<br/>
“Is this your doing?” Pam interrupted.<br/>
“Is what my doing?” Pam glared, then turned back to the phone to read a text aloud.<br/>
“Pamela. I understand your actions lately have been borne from a fierce loyalty to me, but you must not let your loyalty and devotion undermine your respect for my wishes. You may know me better than most, but you do not know me better than I do. You are my greatest creation, and I am proud of the vampire you have become. There will never be another who can replace you in my affections. I hope now that you have become a maker you will understand this. But if you ever attempt to harm Sookie again, I will rip your arms off and burn your shoe collection.” Sookie slapped a palm to her forehead. “I told him to apologize, that, ugh, that ridiculous vampire! I’m sorry, Pam, I-“ again Pam cut her off.<br/>
“Sookie, shut up. If Eric actually properly apologized to me, I’d be sure he was cursed again. This is, well, shit. You may not be half bad for a blood bag with a crazy fairy vagina.” The admission looked to pain Pam, so Sookie just smiled. “Well thanks Pam, I guess. Why don’t we take these outside to wait for Tara, before you have to feel another feeling.” Pam cackled a bit and walked out the backdoor. </p><p>“Is she?” Lafayette’s voice came quietly from behind Sookie, startling her.<br/>
“Lala, I didn’t hear you come up.” She walked over to pull the tall man into a tight hug. “Not yet, but Pam can feel their bond starting, which is a good sign. We were just gonna wait outside for her.” Lafayette just nodded and led the way outside.<br/>
Pam was standing quietly, watch the patch of loose earth covering Tara’s body. “You two need to stay back, down that way. Especially you, glitter puss, your fairy stink will make a newborn rabid.” Pam gestured them down the yard a-ways, towards the woods. They reached the very edge of the tree line when they heard a huge gasping breath. Tara’s head and one arm reached up out of the dirt, grasping on to Pam.<br/>
“Steady there, baby cakes, up you get. Nothing to panic about, I’ve gotcha.” Tara choked and spluttered as she used Pam’s arm to hoist herself out of the ground. When she coughed up the last of whatever dirt had caught in her mouth, she looked first to Pam, then turned to stare down at Sookie and Lafayette.<br/>
“What in the actual fuck”<br/>
“Oh good,” Pam drawled, “you’ve kept all your charming temperament. How delightful.” Tara turned back and glared at her maker, which made Pam laugh. “Here,” she held out an open trublood, “this will help your brain start functioning enough that we can tell you what happened, and then I’ll take you to get the good stuff. Fair deal?” Tara grabbed the bottle and finished almost before Sookie had realized she started drinking. Pam kept handing her bottles until she finished the fourth, at which point Tara looked back to Sookie and Lafayette, “Ok, now again, what in the actual fuck?”<br/>
“You were dying, Tara. Debbie Pelt, Alcide’s ex, you remember her from Jackson?” Tara nodded, “she was back on V, and broke in with a gun. She was coming to kill me and-“<br/>
“-and my dumbass walked into the kitchen and she fired, thinking it was you.” Sookie nodded.<br/>
“Tara, I’m -“ Sookie cut off, as Pam suddenly grabbed Tara and held tight as her progeny strained towards her friend and cousin.<br/>
“There it is, newbie. That smell? It’s good isn’t it? That’s Sookie. I’m gonna get you out of here so you don’t eat her, but we’re gonna need to get you used to that.” Pam grinned, proud at the degree of control her new progeny was already showing, before tugging at her to blur them both off in the direction of her own home.<br/>
“That went…well I suppose.” Sookie looked back towards Lafayette as she headed back to the house. “You coming inside, I can make dinner?” Lafayette shook his head, still looking at the place where Tara had been buried.<br/>
“Nah, Sook. I gotta, I gotta go home. Gonna see if Holly knows how to get the brujo out of me” He turned and headed to his car without waiting for her to speak. She thought about trying to stop him, but she realize the last thing he needed now was her trying to force comfort he wasn’t ready for. And if nothing else, she thought to herself, this would give her the privacy she needed for a conversation with Isabel.</p><p>Sitting in the living room, with her notebook retrieved from the cubby, fed, watered, and as ready as she could be, Sookie pulled out her phone. She took a deep, steadying breath and pressed dial.<br/>
“This is Isabel,” the voice was tinny through the cell phone, but her accent was unmistakable.<br/>
“Hi, Isabel, it’s Sookie. I came with Eric, before Godric, um”<br/>
“Yes, Sookie, I remember you. Eric said I should expect your call. He said you have, em, girl vampire questions?” Though she could hear the laughter in Isabel’s voice, Sookie didn’t get the feeling the vampire was laughing at her.<br/>
“Well, I’ve got questions, that’s for sure. And I am more comfortable talking to a woman about them, I guess, but mostly that was so Eric wouldn’t push for why I wasn’t asking him.”<br/>
“And why aren’t you asking him? Or Bill? Bill said you were his, so he should be the one to instruct you on whatever you need to know.”<br/>
“That’s just the thing, though. I’m not Bill’s anymore, not really. And I found out recently that a lot of the things he told me while we were together were just lies. I don’t know that I can believe any of what he’s told me. And I don’t think Eric would lie to me if I asked him, but I want to be sure, ya know.”<br/>
“I understand.” And she did. Isabel was not one who trusted easy, and the Hugo’s betrayal with the Fellowship of the Sun still hurt deeply.. “Ask me your questions, Sookie. I will answer as best I can.”</p><p>At the end of their conversation, Sookie felt much better equipped to handle her vampires, but she knew she was going to have some tough conversations ahead. Some of the answers she had expected - vampire blood is given to turn a new vampire, or to heal an injured human - others she had not - it’s also given to tie a human to a vampire as a blood slave, sometimes called a renfield. That the physical changes she knew - the health, the libido, the dreams - didn’t cover the emotional changes; it couldn’t create an emotion outright, but it could manipulate the emotions to some degree, with enough blood in a human the vampire could push their feelings on the human. V didn’t act the same, as the magic in a vampire’s blood diminished the longer it was outside the body, and vampire blood drank from the source while the vampire fed from the human as well was a whole different ball game. A simultaneous exchange, Isabel had said, started what was called a Blood Bond. It was like a tie that went both ways, putting the vampire and the human on more equal footing. Three such exchanges would make a bond permanent, so that the person and vampire could always feel each other, always find each other. She was unsure if an exchange would cause the pair to enter a dreamscape like what Sookie had alluded to, but she had also never met a bonded pair to ask. Sookie thought it might have to do with her fairy-ness, but she kept that to herself.<br/>
The most important piece of information, however, was that once bonded, no one could claim the human - regardless of the vampire bonded’s position or age. Bonding was sacred, and no sheriff, no monarch, not even the whole AVL could separate a bonded pair. </p><p>Sookie sat back and looked over the notes she had made during her talk with Isabel. When she really thought back over her relationship with Bill, she became more and more certain that at least at the very beginning, he was trying to make her a blood slave. She already knew he was sent to procure her for the Queen, but with how much blood he dumped into her that night with the Ratts, and how out of character some of her behavior had been since then (she was so disgusted by Eric that first night, and she knew better than anyone not to judge by looks), it was really the only thing that made sense. And even now, she had started to move on from the pain Bill caused, had started making choices for herself, and then she has his blood and now she’s in love with him again? Sookie froze for a second. Eric hadn’t known she’d been shot. When she told him, he’d been furious and had glared at Bill. At the time she had just thought that it was Eric being protective, but he probably realized about the blood. And about the guns. None of the witches had guns that night. Oh god, she thought, it was one of Bill’s men that shot her. </p><p>Sookie stood up and started pacing. So much of that fight was blurry, between the mist and her injury she wasn’t sure if she was just caught in the crossfire, or, as she was beginning to suspect with a sick feeling in her stomach, that she was deliberately shot as a way to get more of Bill’s blood back in her. </p><p>If that was the case, she would need to find a way to override his blood in her. She was certain he hadn’t started a bond the way she and Eric had, so according to Isabel, time and distance would lessen the tie, or another, older vampire’s blood could override it. A completed Bond, she’d said, would eradicate it completely. Eric would have no problem giving her blood to protect her against Bill, she thought, but the only way to protect her completely from the new King would be a completed Bond, and she wasn’t sure he’d want to be tied to her forever. She flopped heavily back on the couch. Would she even want to Bond? To be tied permanently to Eric, for as long as she lived? That sounded a hell of a lot like a marriage, and they hadn’t even been on a date yet. </p><p>There was no way she could answer the bonding question just yet, and certainly not alone. But her decision between the two vampires wasn’t even much of a question, now that she really thought about it - why on earth would she choose a man who’d lied, who’d stolen her virginity under false pretenses, who cheated on her, and nearly drained her dry, over a man who’d been nothing but honest with her, even when it was hard, who’d protected her at his own expense, and who valued everything she was all the time, not just when it was convenient. With that suddenly clear in her mind, she picked up her phone and sent a single text:</p><p>Come home when you’re done work. I’ll wait up.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eric landed lightly on the roof of Fangtasia, and climbed down the hidden utility access into his office closet. As much as he wanted to keep the scent of his sleep-warmed Sookie close, the cut-off hoodie and athletic shorts she had for him to wear would not give off the “Sheriff of Area 5” persona that his employees and vampires expected. He quickly changed into a spare pair of jeans and a black singlet, slipping the hoodie into his desk drawer. Definitely not to smell later, he told himself, that would be weird and pathetic. Luckily, Pam wasn’t here to call him on it, and he was perfectly comfortable lying to himself for the time being.</p><p> </p><p>He briefly checked his computer, Pam was fairly adept at running the bar on her own at this point, and he hadn’t been out of commission long enough for any major sheriff duties to pile up. Frankly, since King “Micro-Manage” Bill took over, most of his Sheriff duties came down to paying tithes and running whatever bitch errands Bill saddled him with. Not that Eric was complaining; it had allowed him the time to supervise Sookie’s house restoration personally, and would now give him time to woo her. He grinned to himself; he hadn’t had to work for a woman in centuries and the challenge of wooing his little fairy was invigorating. Even if she chose him rather quickly, which he hoped for given his competition, he decided he’d continue courting her. From what he knew of her life before Bill, the men in Bon Temps had never appreciated her enough, and his Sookie deserved all the trappings of a love story that her heart desired.</p><p> </p><p>Concluding that all his office responsibilities were cared for, Eric schooled his features into a mask of bored nonchalance, and made his way out to the club floor. Putting himself on display in an ostentatious throne for the bar patrons used to be one of his favorite parts of owning Fangtasia. He loved the attention and adoration, being in the spotlight after centuries in the shadows. But since a petite blonde that smelled like joy waltzed into his life, the nameless masses became tedious. Sitting on the stage, he decided he’d have to find a new vampire to take his place enthralling the vermin, as Pam put it. He considered the vampires in Area 5, and while most were now working for Bill, there were a couple new transplants from New Orleans that he was fairly certain had been in a band. Good looking musician vampires would do well, and he texted the eldest, Keith, to meet with him the following night.</p><p> </p><p>Eric had been in downtime, the picture of menacing and aloof, for about an hour when his cell phone rang.</p><p>“Northman”</p><p>“It’s Alcide. We have a problem.” Eric tensed his jaw, hoping that Sookie had not been foolish enough to reach out to the Were about his psychotic ex and her actions the previous night.</p><p>“Do we have a problem, mutt, or do you have a problem?”</p><p>“We do. I got called to the parking garage tonight. He’s gone.” Anyone looking at Eric at that moment might have confused him for a statue, he went so still. His mind, however, was whirling. If Russell had escaped his concrete tomb, it was only a matter of time before he came after Eric and Sookie, and the “hybrid blood will let you walk in the sun” charade wouldn’t work a second time.</p><p>“I’m on my way. Are there any scents of who might have helped him escape?”</p><p>“Nothing familiar. There’s vampire, but not one I know, and it disappears quickly. Likely into a vehicle. I’ll seal the area off until you get here just to be safe.”</p><p> </p><p>Eric hung up the phone and motioned to Chow that he was leaving. Launching himself into the night sky once out the employee door, Eric’s phone beeped once more, this time with his text tone.</p><p> </p><p>Sookie: <strong>Come home when you’re done work. I’ll wait up.</strong></p><p> </p><p>Eric groaned. Of course he would be offered what he wanted most right as almost certain death was staring him in the face. And there was no way he could hide this from her, as Russell would surely come for her as well - she had told him of dumping Talbot’s remains down the sink at Fangtasia, and Russell would undoubtedly want vengeance. He sent a quick reply:</p><p> </p><p>Eric: I<strong> will be home as soon as I can. Please go into the cubby and lock the door until I get there, I will explain when I am home. Jag älskar dig.</strong></p><p> </p><p>He knew she would worry, and likely not listen to him, but until he put the house back in her name - why hadn’t he done that yet, he berated himself - it was the best he could do to protect her should Russell come tonight. He’d need to alert Pam and Bill as well, but he wanted to assess the parking garage first- those two and Alcide were the only ones beside him who knew where Russell had been interred, so he needed to know where the leak was before bringing them in.</p><p> </p><p>Touching down outside the parking structure, the first scent to hit him was Were. Alcide was the dominant scent, with a few others that Eric recognized as members of the construction crew. Approaching the area where Russell had been buried, he picked up the vampire scent Alcide had mentioned on the phone. It was faint, but vaguely familiar - like something he had not smelled himself, but was close to someone he had.</p><p> </p><p>“Anything?” The Were asked. Eric didn’t turn as he stared at the broken concrete.</p><p>“Maybe. I don’t recognize the scent itself, but it feels familiar. Do we know when he was broken out? Security footage, perhaps?”</p><p>“None. Whoever got him out knocked out the feeds. We can narrow it down to sometime last night, but nothing more specific than that.”</p><p>“Of course. It was too much to ask for that we be up against morons.” Eric let out an unnecessary sigh, “Alright, well there’s not much else we can get from here. To my knowledge, no one but Pam, Bill, and I knew you were involved with this, but we were also the only ones to know he was here, and clearly there’s a leak somewhere. I don’t think he’ll come after you, but you should watch your back.” Alcide nodded, and headed for his truck.</p><p>“I might think about getting out of town for a bit, unless you might need me.” He stopped and turned back to Eric, “How are you going to protect Sookie? I could take her, get us both out of dodge while you deal with the maniac.” There was a small part of Eric that wanted to say yes, to ship Sookie off to someplace she’d be safe and away while he dealt with Russell, so that should he fall, she’d be out of Bill’s clutches. But he knew his fae would not take well to being sidelined while the people she cared about were in danger, and her running around half-cocked was infinitely more dangerous than including her to begin with.</p><p>“I will take care of her. We will call if we need you.” Alcide frowned, but said nothing further as he climbed into his truck and left.</p><p> </p><p>The Viking looked back at the concrete hole at his feet and pulled out his phone. Sookie had replied to his message, but he wouldn’t let himself look until he had called Pam.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Pam.”</p><p>“Pamela, how is your progeny?”</p><p>“Not bad, for a baby vamp. Definitely less whiny than Jessica was, but twice as obnoxious,”</p><p>“So, no doubt that she’s <em>your</em> Childe then?” Pam laughed.</p><p>“I could have done far worse for a first go at maker-hood. But somehow, I don’t believe the addition to our bloodline is the only reason you’ve called. You’ve been blocking the bond for a bit, what’s happened?”</p><p>“He’s not in the parking garage. Take Tara to one of the safe houses tonight, don’t tell me which. I’m going to turn Sookie’s house back over to her, which should keep her safe tonight, but tomorrow night we’ll need to move and plan.”</p><p>“How? Bill?”</p><p>“I don’t know yet, and I won’t speculate on the phone. Get someplace safe, I will Call at first dark.” Eric hung up the phone and closed his eyes. He allowed himself 10 seconds to worry about his progeny, before he pushed it to the side. He opened the text from Sookie, expecting questions, and possibly fury.</p><p> </p><p>Sookie: <strong>I’m going to have to learn Swedish. Be safe.</strong></p><p> </p><p>Eric: <strong>I will teach you. Will be home soon</strong></p><p> </p><p>The trip to Sookie’s farmhouse took about 20 minutes, and Eric spent it furiously plotting his way through possible ways to defeat a vampire 2000 years his senior. With unknown allies. In an unknown location. When he had an undiscovered traitor and no leads to his benefit. But as the house came into view, he pushed the creeping sense of hopelessness aside. His lover would be looking to him to be strong, to know what to do. He could not fail her, he would not.</p><p> </p><p>He approached the farmhouse cautiously, breathing deep to pick up any trace scents. As expected, he found Sookie’s sunshine smell, along with Pam, Tara, and Lafayette’s. He also caught a hint of Bill from the edge of the cemetery, which pricked at something in the back of his mind, but the scent didn’t reach onto the property, so he stashed the sensation away to contemplate later. The house itself was dark, closed up tight like the occupant was asleep and not expecting any late night visitors. Letting himself in the back door, he crept quietly towards the entrance of his cubby. The wardrobe disguise doors were closed, and when he opened them, the steel security door was closed tight as well. He should have been embarrassed at just how happy it made him that Sookie had listened, but anyone who knew Sookie for more than five minutes would have understood.</p><p>Opening the security door, he dropped in the cubby to find the barrel of a shotgun pointed firmly at his chest. He dropped fang just as Sookie jumped and turned the barrel away.</p><p>“Sorry! I guess I should have figured it was you, but I’m a little jumpy right now, are you ok? What’s going on?” Eric lifted the shotgun out of her hands and leaned it gently against the wall, then guided Sookie to sit on the bed next to him.</p><p>“I’m ok, alskade. Better than ok, now that I’m here.” He took her hand in his much larger one, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. “I got a call this evening while I was at Fangtasia. It seems someone, or someones, found where we put Russell.” Sookie gasped, drawing her free hand up to cover her mouth. “It’s possible that he was dug up in order to finally kill him, but there was no evidence of his body there, and honestly, I find it highly unlikely. We have to operate as if someone has freed him and that he will be coming for us.” He paused, taking an unneeded breath, before turning to look into Sookie’s eyes. “Lover, keeping you safe is the most important thing to me. Alcide has offered to take you away from here, you could run. I’m undoubtedly Russell’s main target, I can keep him focused here and give you time to get away and start a new life, where you’ll be safe from him.” He watched as Sookie’s face morphed from terror to stubborn determination.</p><p>“Not a damn chance, buster. Didn’t we just go over this? We are not doing a “make the sacrifice play to protect Sookie” thing ever again. When I told you to come home, that meant I want us to be together, and together means together. Like we are going to face him together. Are we clear?” Eric smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.</p><p>“My beautiful, brave, warrior woman. Yes, we are clear.”</p><p>“Good. Now, you’re going to tell me what we need to do to be safe for tonight, and then you’re kiss me the way you would have kissed me when you got here if you hadn't got that call.”</p><p>“Yes ma’am,” Eric laughed. “I’ll have the lawyer send over the official paperwork in the morning, but for now, do you have a pen and paper?” Sookie handed over her notebook and pen, and Eric pricked his fingertip, dipping the pen in the bead of blood that welled up.</p><p>“What the hell?”</p><p>“I’m signing the house back over to you. As it stands, any vampire can come in; once it’s back in your name, you’ll have the protection of the invitation again.” He handed the pen to her, and gestured for her to sign the page he scrawled on. He felt the tug of the magic starting before the last “e” of Stackhouse was finished.</p><p>“Invite me back in, Sookie.”</p><p>“You are welcome in my home, Eric Northman.” The pair smiled sweetly at each other for a brief moment. “Anything else we need to do for tonight?” She asked.</p><p>“No, our next steps will need to wait until tomorrow.”</p><p>“In that case,” she set the notepad and pen on the end table, and her look turned sultry, “I believe there is something you owe me, Mr. Northman.” The viking’s eyes took on a predatory glint, and he snaked an arm around her waist.</p><p>“I always pay what I owe, lover” he breathed against her lips, before cupping her head in his free hand and slanting his mouth over her own.</p><p>Sookie’s hands flew to his shoulders, at first just holding, then pulling desperately to get him closer. Eric shifted, sliding his hands to her hips to pull her up and over onto his lap, and she moaned at the feeling of his bulge now pressing against her clothed core. The kiss broke when Sookie needed to breathe, and Eric began trailing kisses across her jaw, down her throat. He licked at her pulse point, and she could feel the tips of his fangs scraping gently, but not breaking skin. The fluttering thought of sharing blood that the sensation prompted brought her up short, reminding her of the conversation she’d had with Isabel just hours before. The fear from Eric’s text, and the anxiety of waiting, not knowing what was going on, made the conversation feel like it happened so long ago, but she knew that before she and Eric moved forward in their relationship, they needed to talk about it.</p><p> </p><p>Sensing the shift in her mood, Eric lifted his face from her neck.</p><p>“Lover, what’s wrong?” Sookie put her hands to his face, smoothing her thumbs along his cheekbones.</p><p>“Nothing’s wrong, well, nothing that wasn’t wrong before we started kissing. I just remembered and I wanted to talk to you before we do…anything besides kissing” the faint flush on her cheeks was adorable, and while Eric never wanted her to feel embarrassed about anything around him, he also hoped she never lost her tendency to blush. He smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose.</p><p>“Ok. Would you like to talk now then, or would you like to talk later and just keep kissing now?” She dropped her eyes and chewed her bottom lip while she thought. Eric’s eyes fixed on the spot where her blunt teeth worried the soft skin. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to be the one biting that lip, or being bitten by those teeth, more. Both options served to turn him on further, and he hoped she opted to talk now, because he wasn’t sure how’d successful he’d be at keeping it to just kissing.</p><p>“Let’s talk about it now. If we don’t, we’ll get caught up in dealing with Russell and then we’ll never talk about it. And if we’re going to work, I need to get some things straight.” Her eyes, when they met his, were determined, but the fledgling bond and the fingers twirling in his hair belied her nervousness.</p><p>“Of course, alskade. So tell me, what do we need to talk about?” Sookie arched an eyebrow and then looked pointedly down at where his hands were still gripping her hips, holding her tightly against him. He arched his eyebrow in return.</p><p>“Can you just, argh,” she wiggled, trying to loosen his grip, which only served to excite him further, “how am I supposed to focus with <em>that</em> pushing at me?” He chuckled and let go, letting her scramble herself onto the bed, propping her back against the headboard. He turned and situated himself next to her, stretching his long legs out, and reclaiming one of her hands in his.</p><p>“Better?” He asked.</p><p>“Yes, thank you.” She bit her lip again, and he stroked his fingers along her skin, projecting calm to her. “So I called Isabel earlier, after we knew Tara was ok. I had questions, about humans and vampires, like I told you, but mostly about vampire blood.” She took a deep breath, “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that Bill was not very upfront about anything to do with the vampire world in general, and what he did tell me was, well not entirely hogwash, but not really true either. Half-truths, I guess, but just the half that would keep me in the dark. At first, I thought it was because he was trying to keep me safe, but now I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think it was just to get me for the Queen either. I think, I think he was trying to control me the whole time, and maybe even up til now. I don’t know why, but I do know that I don’t want it, or anything to do with him.”</p><p>Sookie squeezed his hand, “I want you to know that I know you’re nothing like him. And I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t fair to you when we first met, which I’m pretty sure was because he didn’t want me to like you, and I’m sorry about that. I’m going to try really hard to make sure I don’t compare you to him, and that I only judge things based on what you actually do, not what he made me think about you. I’m probably going to screw it up, but I’m hoping you can be patient with me. And I’m going to ask you some questions based on things he did, not because I think you would, but because I need to be sure, ok?”</p><p>“Ask anything you need, dear one, I will not get mad. Not at you, anyway. I reserve the right to get mad at Bill.” Sookie giggled.</p><p>“That’s fair. I got pretty mad at him too, earlier.” Sookie took a moment to breathe and order her thoughts, with Eric waiting patiently, stroking comforting shapes into her hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you ever had a pet? Like a human that you fed your blood to and glamoured so that you could control them?”</p><p>“No. I’ve had humans that I controlled with glamour for longer periods of time, but Godric taught me that the blood is sacred, and not to be given out lightly. I’ve never found a situation where controlling a human was so important that giving them my blood was worth it.”</p><p>“Why did you give me your blood?” Eric looked down at their joined hands.</p><p>“Do you know how I came to be at the Fellowship that night in Dallas?” Sookie shook her head. “I was sitting in my hotel room, frustrated because Isabel and I had been outside the compound and could tell nothing about what was going on inside. She had felt a brief spike from Hugo, but then he seemed calm, and we had not heard from you, so there was no reason, she believed, to go in. And then a bellboy came and yelled through the door a message from you, that you were being held, and you and Godric both were in danger, and I had no idea. I didn’t know what I felt for you just yet, feelings were still relatively new to me, but I had never been so furious and helpless as I was knowing that you had been hurt and I hadn’t known to stop it. So when I got the opportunity to have you drink my blood, to be able to feel you, to be able to find you, it was something I needed too much to pass up.” He paused and looked up at her, “I do regret being so…underhanded about it though. I didn’t know at the time that Bill had not told you the full truth about vampire’s blood, but I still should have given you the choice.” At that, Sookie grimaced.</p><p>“Thank you for saying that, but I’m actually glad you didn’t. With the way I was then, with what I was feeling from what I’m pretty sure was Bill’s blood, I definitely would have said no way. And if it hadn’t been for having your blood, between how much of his I'd already had, and how much he gave me between then and now, I’m pretty sure I would have become his slave.”</p><p>“You are right, that an older vampire’s blood will diminish the effects of a younger’s, but I gave you so little, and he gave you so much, I doubt retaining your independence had anything to do with my blood at all. I think that’s all you, Sookie. You resisted him, all on your own.”</p><p>“Thank you” she whispered, as she wound her arms around him and put her face in his chest.</p><p>“Thank you, alskade, for trusting me.” He said, stroking his hand over her hair, “Now, is there anything else you want to discuss?” Sookie nodded against him, before giving one tight squeeze and sitting up again.</p><p> </p><p>“There is one more thing I want to talk about. Well, one and a half, kinda. Isabel told me a little bit about the Blood Bond. Did we start one the first night we made love? With the snow?”</p><p>“Yes, lover. I didn’t explain it well without my memories, but when I said we would be one I was being quite literal. But I promise you, now that I have my memories, I won’t do anything to complete the bond without your consent.”</p><p>“Ok, thank you.” Sookie was quiet for a moment, looking down and decidedly not at Eric. “Do you think, maybe, it might be something you’d want, someday?” She finally asked, speaking so quietly he almost thought she was talking to herself.</p><p>“Sookie, look at me.” She glanced up and back down, not wanting to meet his eyes. He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted, then cupped her cheek in his palm. “If you said to me that you wanted to complete the bond right now, I’d open a vein before you finished your sentence. I love you, and in a thousand years I can count the people I’ve loved on one hand. I’d like nothing more than for you to be mine permanently, and I’d be the happiest creature on the planet if you said you’d like 'permanently' to be forever. You’d make a wonderful vampire, you know. But I know, or at least I’m fairly sure, that you’re not ready for that, and that’s ok. I can be patient. And if you decide that you never want to make the bond permanent, if you want to live out a human lifetime, then I will just have to savor every moment with you that much more. Will I try to convince you down the road, of course! I go for what I want, you know that. But I can give you time, and I will respect your decision.” He thumbed a tear as it fell from her eye, and popped it in his mouth without thinking, which made her giggle.</p><p> </p><p>“That is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. And you are a great big weirdo.” Eric grinned. “I’m not ready to make it permanent. That sounds to me like marriage, and we haven’t even gone on a date yet! But I want to be the one you drink from. And maybe sometimes, not often or at the same time, I’d like to drink from you too.” She smiled shyly, and Eric couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He pinned her to the bed, devouring her mouth, biting our words between kisses, “my blood is yours lover,” “I will have no one but you,” “I will take you on the best dates,” “you are MINE.” Sookie grabbed his face, and with a growl worthy of a vampire, she bit back “and you are MINE, Eric Northman.”</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Sookie woke the next morning, she expected to find herself slightly sore and riddled with hickies from Eric’s claiming the night before. To say he had been enthusiastic after she claimed him in return was a bit of an understatement. But as she wiggled her way out from under the deadweight of his arm, she found that she felt light and limber, with not so much as a blemish on her skin, let alone any bruising. She didn’t remember drinking from him, but she was pretty out of it by the end of round 4, and she could see Eric giving her blood before she fell asleep if he thought he’d been too rough. She smiled to herself and brushed a light kiss to his cheek before climbing out of the cubby to start her day.</p><p> </p><p>Remembering the threat of Russell, she brought the shotgun up with her. Obviously he wouldn’t be out and about to get her, given it was daylight, but she didn’t know if he had reconnected with the Were pack he was using when he was still King of Mississippi, and she wasn’t taking the chance walking about unarmed. She hadn’t heard anything about Mississippi since she came back from Faerie, and she idly wondered if there was a new King or Queen for the vampires there. She knew that Bill had become King because he killed Sophie-Ann (with Nan Flanagan’s help, and didn’t that just beat all. Gaddang Nan Flanagan), but Sookie wasn’t sure how they’d handle things if a King went missing. Would someone be appointed, or maybe elected? She’d have to ask Eric. As she got in the shower, a thought occurred to her - if there was a new monarch in Mississippi, that person would likely not want Russell coming back, nor would the AVL after his TV News debut. Eric had handled Russell pretty well when they were on their own before, but extra resources this go round would be nice. She knew defeating Russell a second time, and hopefully a final time, would be difficult, and they’d need every advantage they could get.</p><p> </p><p>Shedding her pajamas when she reached her room, Sookie tossed on a pair of jeans and an old Bon Temps High t-shirt. She contemplated for a moment going back to the cubby and nabbing Eric’s tank top to wear for the day, just to feel him close to her, but she thought that might be a bit much. She puttered around the kitchen, pulling out ingredients to make herself a quick omelet for breakfast and wondered if Eric owned any hoodies she could steal. Boyfriend hoodies were a thing still, when you were in your 20’s, right? It occurred to her that Eric had seen every part of her home, and likely every piece of clothing she owned - she doubted he had replaced all her clothes personally, probably had Pam do the shopping when they redid her house, but he was definitely one to snoop through it all after - but she had never seen where he lived, or knew anything about his wardrobe for when he was home and relaxing. Well, she thought, normal relationship stuff would have to wait. They’d have plenty of time for her to snoop through his house and steal his clothes after they handled Edgington. The sound of a truck rumbling up her drive pulled her out of her thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Reaching the back door, she saw Jason making his way up to the porch.</p><p>“Hey Jase, I was just getting ready to make myself breakfast, you hungry?” She called through the screen. Jason was always up for someone else cooking for him, and as expected he grinned and yelled back his appreciation. She dug into the fridge and pulled out ingredients for another omelet and bacon, while Jason came in and poured himself a cup of coffee.</p><p>“Jason, what in the hell happened to your face?” Sookie had caught sight of a black eye and a healing split lip when he turned to refill her own mug.</p><p>“Oh, yeah this. ’S kinda why I came over. See I been, uh, thinking some….not so polite thoughts about Jess lately. And I didn’t try nothing, I swear, but I was feeling some type of way about it, and since her and Hoyt aren’t together anymore, that maybe I could, I dunno”</p><p>“Wait, did Jessica hit you when you asked her out?”</p><p>“No! No, god no. I haven’t talked to her about it yet at all. I went and talked to Hoyt, I mean he’s my best friend right? And they had lived together so I didn’t want something to happen and him hear about it from anyone else or nothing. But uh” Jason trailed off and seemed to have a hard time picking his sentence up again, so Sookie took a quick peek inside his head.</p><p>“Oh Jase, did you not even try to defend yourself?”</p><p>“I wasn’t gonna hit him back, he’s my bubba! And I was talking about wanting to sleep with his girl, I deserved it. But anyway, now I don’t know what to do, I mean I really like Jess. Like not just fuckin’ her, but like, I wanna take her out and make her smile, and her laugh is the prettiest thing I’ve ever heard. But Hoyt’s been my best friend for as long as I remember. You’re better at feelings than me, Sook, what do I do?” Sookie took the finished omelets from the pan and set a plate for her brother at the table.</p><p>“I don’t know, Jase, that’s a tough place to be. I don’t know how things ended with Hoyt and Jessica, but you gotta ask yourself if it’ll be something Hoyt will get over and forgive you for if you and Jess date, or if it’ll be the end of the friendship entirely. And then you gotta decide if what you’re feeling is enough to end that friendship if that ends up being the case. But I can’t answer that for you.”Jason chewed thoughtfully for a couple minutes, giving Sookie time to eat her own breakfast. She really needed to get better about not forgetting to eat while she kept vampire hours and company.</p><p>“How did you and Tara stay friends after everything with Eggs and how much she hated you dating vampers?” Oh fudge. She hadn’t told Jason about Tara. Or Sam. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really talked to anyone who wasn’t a vampire since the end of the witches.</p><p>“Well I don’t know that Tara and I really got to work through all that before we both left, and now, well now things are different.” She paused and took a deep steadying breath. “Jase, there’s actually some things I gotta tell you about Tara and my vampire friends and I need you to listen as my brother and let me get it all out.” Sookie was pretty sure Jason wouldn’t arrest her for Debbie, since she didn’t technically see her die, but she thought maybe it best to dance around that a bit. “You know that witch Marnie possessed Lafayette and tried to kill Bill and Eric, right? Well that night someone came after me but got Tara instead. She would have died, but Eric and Pam asked me and Lala if we wanted them to try to turn her. She rose last night, and she’s ok, just, a little more nocturnal.” Jason stared at his cleared plate while he thought through this news. Sookie could see his memories of them and Tara as kids, playing in the sun, the way Tara looked at him and smiled when she thought he wasn’t looking. Then he flashed to Eric and Pam meeting him at the farmhouse while it was being restored, the care for the Stackhouse home they showed, and Eric on his knees outside Moon Goddess, ready to die to save Sookie.</p><p>“Well, I guess if it was vampire or dead, I’d rather her like this. And the blonde vamps ain’t so bad. Are you with that tall one now then? Cuz vampire Bill still seemed like he was pretty in love with you.”</p><p>“I’m with Eric now, Bill and I are done. Bill definitely isn’t what I thought he was, and I’m pretty sure his lovin’ me wasn’t love at all. But we’ve got bigger fish to fry with him than his boyfriend abilities. I don’t know how much I can tell you yet, but there’s a bad vampire, older than Eric and Bill combined who might be coming after us. And there were only a couple people who knew where he was imprisoned, and Bill was one of them. which, by the way, when you go home tonight you need to rescind all vampire invitations into your house, and don’t answer the door for anyone - I don’t want them glamouring you to let anyone in, or to get you out. At least until we figure out what’s going on and what we’re doing.”</p><p>“Alright, Sook, I will. But you gotta promise to be careful, and to let me know what you need me to do to help. I’m an officer of the law, now, not just your dumbass brother ya know.”</p><p>“I know, Jase, and I will. I don’t know if I ever told you, but I am really proud of the growing up you did while I was gone.” Jason blushed and pushed away from the table.</p><p>“Thanks, Sook. And thanks for breakfast. I’ve got rounds to do today, but I’ll swing back by later if you need.” He smiled and was back out the door.</p><p> </p><p>At a loss of what else to do for the day, Sookie took to straightening the house up, not that it needed much, and thinking. If she and Eric were going to be partners, she needed to contribute to getting them out of this situation with Russell. Sookie hated all the drama and violence that came along with vampires. She almost wished she could go back to her life before Bill had showed up at Merlotte’s and threw everything into a tailspin. But, she supposed, when she really thought about it, she was always going to end up getting involved with the supernatural anyway. She was supernatural herself, after all. But what she wouldn’t give to be like Sam, only interacting in supe affairs when he felt like it. Sam, now that was a whole other headache. He had just offered her job back, but given what was undoubtedly coming she would feel terrible having to drop shifts without notice, or worse if something came for her while she was at the bar and put the patrons in danger. The people of Bon Temps may not be the kindest people around, but they didn’t deserve to be put in harm’s way on her account. But she couldn’t go without work either. Hell, she only had her house because Eric had decided to save it, and now that it was back in her name, she’d have to handle all the bills on it again. Maybe Eric would let her work at Fangtasia. He already knew she could wait tables and bartend, and she’d be willing to read customers to ensure no underage kids or drainers were let in, and then if Russell were to show up, there’d be vampires there to help. Or maybe if he didn’t want her on the bar floor - she wasn’t sure if vampire society would look too kindly on a vampire’s human also being a waitress - she could help with paperwork, scheduling and the books and whatnot. She’d done that for Sam a couple times while he was away and she wasn’t half bad at it. It’d be a bit more of a commute, but she could go in to work and come home with Eric every night, so he couldn’t argue about her safety. Though he might complain about her car, as he always did. She was honestly surprised he hadn’t replaced that too while she was gone, but she’d never say anything lest he get the idea in his head that she’d be ok with that.</p><p> </p><p>She folded another Merlotte’s t-shirt to put away in her drawer (laundry was the perfect chore for thinking). That would just be that then, she decided. She’d talk to Eric tonight about working for him, at least until things calmed down, and as long as he agreed, she’d call Sam and resign in the morning. She knew Sam wouldn’t be happy, he never was as far as her interactions with vampires were concerned, but this would be safest for everyone, and she couldn’t let his over-protectiveness and jealously cloud her judgement.</p><p> </p><p>Her stomach rumbled a bit and she looked at the clock. 5:30pm, just about an hour until sunset. She went downstairs to throw together a quick dinner before she scrambled back into the cubby. She wanted to be next to Eric when he woke. She shucked her jeans and was just sliding back under his arm when his eye cracked open, and the arm in her hand pulled her tight against him.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought we had gone over my distaste for clothes when I wake like this, lover.” Sookie grinned and traced her fingertips over his lips, where he nipped lightly at them.</p><p>“If I was naked as often as you want me to be naked, I’d never wear clothes again.” Eric’s fangs dropped,</p><p>“Now there’s an idea, lover. I could go throw all your clothes away and you can stay naked in my bed all the time.” Sookie snorted and smacked at the hand creeping up her shirt.</p><p>“Yeah, uh huh, and then what would we do when people come round to see me? You really want Pam or Tara seeing me naked?” Eric growled and propelled himself over her.</p><p>“Mine! Just mine.” He kissed her hard, pushing his hardness against her belly, and causing her panties to start feeling a bit damp.</p><p>“Yes, yours,” she gasped when he released her lips to trail down her throat. “but we don’t have time for that. You need to feed and then we need to call Pam.” He groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder, before snapping his eyes to hers and grinning wildly.</p><p>“i don’t have time to worship you the way I’d like, no. But we do have time for a quickie.” In a move too fast for her to see, the viking had her panties gone and she was pinned against the wall with his hard cock teasing her entrance and his mouth back at her throat.</p><p>“Gods, Sookie, I can feel you dripping, you’re always so wet for me.” He entered her slowly, stretching her open to take his considerable size - no matter how many times he’d had her, she was always so tight around him - and moved one hand to her clit. It wasn’t long before the combined friction there and his cock inside her had her on the precipice. Just before she tipped over the edge, he bit, and the two reached their roaring climax together. As she came back to earth, Sookie could feel him licking the last drops of blood from her neck, and sealing the wound. She wouldn’t mind if he left a mark from time to time, but not where anyone could see; it felt too intimate for that.</p><p>“We’ll need a quick shower, lover, and then we’ll be heading to one of my homes to meet with Pam. We’ll need to fly, so as not to be followed, so you may want to dress warmly.” He lowered her gently to stand on her own, grinning smugly when her knees shook and she had to steady herself against his chest. She scrunched her face up and flicked his nipple.</p><p>“Shush you. You’re showering on your own or we’ll never get out of here.” He caught her hand and kissed her palm.</p><p>“Much as I hate it, you are right alskade. Go get yours, I promise to not even peek.” Sookie took a quick shower, hoping it was enough to get the smell of sex off her, but not wanting to dally, she emerged to a still very much naked Eric lounging on her bed. She rolled her eyes as he flexed his chest at her, and smacked his (gorgeous, perfect, absolutely favorite) butt as he passed her to go into the bathroom. “Minx!” He yelled, laughing. She smiled and pulled on jeans and warm sweater. Moments later he was back out, damp but clean and dressed. Together they locked up the house, and stepping outside, they took flight.</p><p> </p><p>Flying was something Sookie would never get used to. She was terrified of heights, but felt so safe in Eric’s arms, and the view from above was unlike anything she had ever imagined. Even the view out the window of the plane when she had gone to Dallas couldn’t compare- 30,000 feet was too high to appreciate the details. And nothing could ever come close to the sound of Eric’s whoop of joy when she shrieked and clutched him tight as they shot into the night sky.</p><p>She knew they were heading vaguely in the direction of Shreveport, but she quickly lost track of where precisely they were, too distracted by the brilliance of the stars above and the dark depths of the forests below. They landed in a clearing in the woods in front of an old hunting cabin. There was a old dirt road leading up, in worse condition than even her old driveway had been, but Sookie didn’t see any cars, so she imagined they had beat Pam and Tara. Sookie was surprised as they approached the house that it seemed to be in a state of aged disrepair, not quite as bad as the old Compton place had been when Bill first moved in, but definitely worse than her old farmhouse, and far worse than what she expected from one of Eric’s properties. Eric must have felt her confusion as they reached the porch, because he turned to smirk at her before unlocking the door and leading her inside. Entering the cabin, her confusion only grew, as the interior was just as shabby as the exterior. There didn’t appear to be any electricity, and the few pieces of furniture in the singular room looked to be from the 70s at least. Eric took her hand and led her over to the fireplace, which still held the ashes and half burnt logs from its last fire. Pressing a brick under the mantel, a section of the wooden floor boards in the corner of the room lifted, revealing a steel slab. He keyed in a code on the surface of the slab, then pricked his finger on a now exposed needle, and let the blood that welled drop onto the steel. The slab revealed itself to be a trap door when it raised, giving them access to a ladder. Eric grinned at Sookie’s slack jawed expression then dropped down into the opening. Sookie looked down what appeared to her to be a giant black void, but then carefully climbed down the ladder to follow him.</p><p> </p><p>Sookie felt Eric’s presence to her side before she could see him; where above in the cabin there was enough ambient moonlight that her eyes, enhanced a bit with vampire blood could see, down below was so pitch black that making her way down the ladder was done by feel alone. Eric plucked her from the ladder before she fully reached the bottom and pinned her to the wall.</p><p>“I have you in my lair now, alskare, whatever will I do with you” he purred against her ear.</p><p>“Gross, you two, get a room!” Sookie jumped as Tara’s voice pierced the darkness from above. Not letting Sookie wiggle away, Eric turned his head to shout back up the ladder</p><p>“I believe we do have a room. One you’re not even in. Not our fault you don’t want to hear me ravish your friend.” Sookie could feel the heat rushing to her face and she thumped her head onto Eric’s shoulder as she pinged the voids that were Tara and Pam coming down the ladder. Once the two had descended, the trap door above closed, and lights came on, revealing Pam at another touch pad, and a room much larger than the cabin above. The wall she had been pressed against seemed to match up with the fireplace wall above, but it stretched beyond where she estimated the front porch was, and on either side of the building, nearly doubling the space from the surface cabin. To her right there was a kitchenette, with a fridge, sink, and microwave. To the left were three doors, one left opened that revealed a small bathroom, and two that she assumed led to bedrooms. The main room was sectioned by a large couch facing an entertainment center filled with books. Behind it was a long desk with several monitors which came to life with the lights - each screen showed what Sookie assumed was security camera footage. Mostly of the exterior of the cabin they were in, but one monitor showed a split screen of different areas of Fangtasia, and another showed the exterior of</p><p>“Is that my house?!” Sookie exclaimed, caught by surprise. Eric looked almost abashed.</p><p>“Yes. I put in some extra security when I restored the building. I don’t monitor it often, but it made sense to put it in while I was running the new wiring, and since I planned on staying over sometimes, the extra security was necessary.” Sookie narrowed her eyes, ignoring Pam and Tara stifling their chuckles.</p><p>“And you didn’t think to mention this to me?”</p><p>“To be fair, alskare, when have I had the time? When you came back you were too furious to accept it for the safety measure it was, and then I was amnesiac and didn’t even remember it was there.” She stared intently into his eyes for a moment, poked his chest aggressively once, then smoothed her palm along his chest to show her forgiveness and turned back to the room. “I assume there’s trublood in the fridge, should I warm some up for you guys?” She headed towards the kitchenette, not noticing that she naturally took the role of hostess in Eric’s house. Pam and Tara each arched an eyebrow at Eric who silenced them with a glance. He was more than a little disconcerted, both at Sookie’s effortless comfort in one of his spaces, and at the degree to which the newest member of his bloodline seemed to fit into place. New borns were typically more awkward and erratic than Tara appeared, and while he was grateful for one less complication, he was also mildly confused.</p><p>“None for me, lover, but it Tara and Pam should each have one.” Pam grimaced; at their regular homes she and Eric both kept bagged donor blood for instances where they couldn’t have fresh, but the safe houses all had trublood because it kept longer, even if it was infinitely more disgusting. The three vampires gathered on the couch, and Sookie joined them with the two bloods and a glass of water for herself.</p><p>“I briefed Tara on what we knew of Russell before on the way over. What do we know now?” Pam started as Tara sipped tentatively at her blood.</p><p>“When we put Russell in concrete last year, only four people knew where he was. Alcide, who gave us the place to put him and the access to the concrete mix truck, Bill and myself who buried him, and Pam, who had to dig me out when Bill tried to bury me as well.”</p><p>“When Bill did what now?” Tara interjected</p><p>“Bill tried to silence Eric by burying him in concrete the same as they did Russell. Eric hadn’t fed much since being out in the sun and was still weakened, but was able to Call me so I could get him out.”</p><p>“Why in the hell did Eric need to be silenced? I knew y’all got up to some shady shit, it’s why I didn’t want Sookie anywhere near y’all, but damn, what’re you, the fucking mafia?” Eric huffed a laugh,</p><p>“Where do you think the mafia got it from? Did Sookie not tell you why she and Bill, what’s the term… broke up?” At this, Sookie looked down at the glass in her hands, embarrassed. She really hadn’t made much time for her non-supernatural friends lately.</p><p>“Ah, no. We haven’t gotten to that bit of girl talk yet, with everything else going on. Tara, he was sent by the old Queen to…well to seduce me until I agreed to go to New Orleans with him to be her pet telepath. You remember my cousin Hadley, right? She was the Queen’s pet for a bit and blabbed about me. Eric found out when Sophie-Anne and Russell got married, and Bill decided he was going to kill anyone who could possibly know the truth about what I was, which included Eric. So, ya know, buried in concrete.” Tara stared at her friend for a long moment.</p><p>“We, we are going to talk about that some more. That, Sook, that is a whole lot of fuckery, too much to handle right now, but don’t think this lets you off the hook, understand?” Sookie nodded her agreement.</p><p>“Alright, girl-talk time done, yes?” Eric enquired. Taking silence for assent, he continued, “Ok, so only the four of us knew where Russell was. Obviously neither Pam nor I dug him up. Alcide alerted me to his disappearance, which eliminates him, and while I smelled vampire at the site, it wasn’t Bill’s scent. We have to assume that there are additional players on the board we don’t know about, and an information leak somewhere. My money is on Bill, but there is the possibility that one of us was followed the night we buried him. Although if that’s the case we have the additional query of why this unknown party waited a year to collect him, and how they evaded detection that night.” The women sat, processing this information for a moment, each attempting to sift through what was known for an actionable lead.</p><p>“Wait, has anyone checked to see if Alcide was glamoured? I mean, I know Weres are harder, but it can be done right?” Sookie questioned.</p><p>“It can be done, by someone either very old, or very skilled at glamour. Why do you not think it could be Bill?”</p><p>“Got nothing to do with not being Bill. Just, Alcide being not vampire makes him the weakest link. I mean, if I was an outsider trying to get Russell’s location, I’d go after Alcide for it first before trying one of y’all. He’s also the easiest path to eliminate as the potential leak.”</p><p>“How do you figure that, Tinkerbell? If he’s been glamoured, he won’t know it.” Pam retorted.</p><p>“He might not, but I will. Telepath, remember” Sookie tapped her forehead, “I may not be able to see who did the glamouring, but I’ll be able to see if someone’s tampered with his brain.”</p><p>“Ok, so that will let us know if this is strictly an outside job or if Bill’s the leak involved in some way. What about the vamp you smelled in the garage. I’m guessing you don’t know who that was?” Tara piped up.</p><p>“No, the scent was unknown to me. Though it did smell close to familiar. As if I knew the scent of someone else in the bloodline.” Tara squinted for a second.</p><p>“So like, if someone knew you, but smelled me, how I would smell to them?”</p><p>“Something like that, yes. I can’t be sure of the line relation from smell alone, and like I said, it was faint by the time I got there. I’m certain I’d recognize it again, but I’m not as certain I’ll recognize the relation I know.” Tara frowned and looked down. Sounded like a whole lot of useless, if you asked her. Not that she’d say it out loud.</p><p>“Well, that’ll be helpful when we find where the leak might be, but til then - what do we know about Russell? We might not be able to plan for this unknown rescuer, but doubtless Russell is older than them and will be in charge once he’s up to strength again, and we can plan for him. Eric, would he go back to his Weres in Mississippi?” Pam asked, trying to steer back into not-so-hopeless territory, feeling the frustration of both her maker and her progeny.</p><p>“I don’t know that he’d go back to the pack he had, they were getting difficult to manage and fucking things up for him before. But he has used wolves as his minions for at least the last thousand years, so I’d be surprised if he didn’t bring some to him now.”</p><p>“You don’t think he’d try to go back to Mississippi, do you? I mean, surely they have another King by now, right? One who’d want him gone? Could we reach out to them for help, or maybe the AVL?” Sookie asked.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you have taken Mississippi, Eric, since the AVL thought you killed Russell?” Tara jumped in.</p><p>“Wait, the AVL thinks you killed him? They don’t know he’s not finally dead?” Sookie’s eyes got wide, and her brain started ping ponging between this being really good and really really bad.</p><p>“Lover, calm down. No, the AVL did not know we chose to inter him rather than give him the true death. They had given me the green light to kill him, after his TV stunt and his murder of the magister, but I decided to let him live instead.” Sookie felt a ping in her chest, and she knew that last part wasn’t quite true, but she got the feeling now was not the time to question it. “I could have taken Mississippi, since I did kill Russell, but he had just married Sophie-Ann, so it was turned over to her. If I wanted it we would have had to go through the AVL court, and since I wanted no part of being King, I wouldn’t have bothered. And then it became moot because Bill killed Sophie-Ann and took Louisiana. He currently runs both states, though he has a regent in Mississippi, his sister Judith.”</p><p>“He has a sister? wait, I’ll come back to that - you know that Nan Flanagan helped him kill Sophie-Ann, right? He didn’t actually finish her?” All three vampires turned to stare intently at Sookie.</p><p>“No, no we did not. He told you this?” Eric asked.</p><p>“Yeah. I don’t think he realized I was conscious, but after I got shot, when he gave me more blood, he was talking about all the things he “done to keep me safe”. He mentioned working with Nan to get rid of Sophie-Ann, but he also talked about meeting her in the 80s, and I don’t know what he was on about. I can’t be sure if it was Nan and her minions on their own, or if the AVL gave the OK, but it definitely wasn’t Bill by himself.”</p><p>“I always wondered how useless-in-a-fight Bill managed to get the upper hand on the old bitch. I mean, Sophie was a spoiled brat, sure, but she was 200 years older than him, and a vicious bitch to boot.” Pam grinned. Eric, meanwhile, looked deep in thought. Nan being involved in Bill coming to power was troubling, and given how quickly it happened after Russell was deposed was more troubling still. There was something bigger happening, but Eric couldn’t see all the pieces just yet.</p><p> </p><p>“I think we still have too many unknowns to properly plan. We need to gather more information, starting with Alcide. Sookie was right, we need to eliminate potential variables first. We’ll need to meet him somewhere unexpected, and where it’ll be difficult for him to be followed.”</p><p>“We can’t just use Fangtasia?” Sookie asked.</p><p>“no. it’s likely we are being watched, and that includes our usual places. Fangtasia, Merlotte’s, your home, possibly your brother’s will all be under surveillance. At least, they would be if I were orchestrating things, and it’s safest to operate as if they’re as smart as I am.”</p><p>“We need to warn them, Jason and Sam. And Lafayette! They’ve gotta go someplace safe!”</p><p>“It’s safest for them to continue on their normal routines. Their ignorance of the situation keeps them from being targets, at least for now. As soon as that changes, I promise we will make sure they’re safe.” Eric looked softly at Sookie. He sometime struggled to understand her loyalty towards the people in her life who had so often taken more from her than they ever gave, but it never failed to warm a little piece of his heart with how much she cared. Unfortunately, he knew that that caring could become a liability, and he couldn’t quite deny that his promise to keep her friends and brother safe was as much a practical choice to prevent that distraction as much as it was a sentimental one to keep her happy. Thankfully Pam seemed to pick up on that as well, otherwise he was sure he would have gotten an earful about going soft.</p><p> </p><p>He pulled out his phone and texted for Alcide to meet them outside Ludwig’s clinic the next night. It was an inconspicuous location, not someplace they’d be expected, and warded enough against mal-intent that they should be able to avoid a confrontation should they be discovered. Receiving an affirmative, Eric noticed he had a missed call and a text message from that new vampire, Keith. Fuck. He knew that he, at least, would need to appear to maintain some semblance of his normal routine, at least until they determined the extent of Bill’s involvement, but he didn’t want to leave Sookie alone at the safe house, nor did he want to leave her with Pam and Tara. The early days with a new born were hard enough without the temptation of a part-fae, or the frustration of a cooped up, obstinate, Sookie.</p><p> </p><p>“We will need to keep at least a little bit of our normal routine, to keep whomever is watching from knowing when we’re on to something. Tara’s turning will help to account for some variances in Pam’s routine, as will my official relationship with you, alskare, but we may need to make some more…public changes, at least for the time being.” Eric wanted to just demand that Sookie quit the shifter’s bar, so he could just keep her with him for, well he’d say the time being but he’d try to convince her on forever down the road. But he knew that if he demanded she’d get her back up and insist that she couldn’t, she wouldn’t. Before he could finish choosing precisely the words he wanted, she piped up,</p><p>“That reminds me, actually. I, um, wanted to talk to you about maybe working for you at Fangtasia. I don’t want to bring trouble to Merlotte’s and if someone comes for us at Fangtasia, there’ll be more vampires to help, or to at least, they’ll be more aware and can get themselves and the humans out of the way. And I can go in with you, or Pam, so there’s less chance for me to get kidnapped on the road. And you already know I can waitress, or I can help with scheduling and stuff, help with whatever you do, Pam, so you have more time with Tara? And I can read the customers, ya know. I can earn my keep.” Sookie looked up at Eric with wide eyes, so innocent and earnest, he had to hold back a laugh. She was so guileless, smart but with no sense of conniving, and it was refreshing to his millennia of jadedness.</p><p>“Of course, alskare, I’d like nothing more to have you work with us. Come, I have a vampire meeting me there tonight, we can draw up an employment contract for you as well.” Pam and Sookie both looked at him questioningly. “I no longer wish to be on display regularly. I will still take the throne when it suits me, or when it would be beneficial for the Area, but I think it’s time there was a new attraction for the tourists to gawk at and the fangbangers to fawn over.” Pam and Tara rolled their eyes, but Sookie grinned. She’d never admit out loud that she felt a little jealous when Eric was out on the stage, but she wouldn’t mind at all not having to hear the patrons thoughts about him while he was up there. Eric stood and held his hand to Sookie, prompting her and the other two to rise.</p><p> </p><p>“Shall we, ladies?”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The smut gets smuttier today my friends. I'm going to try to keep the balance between plot, smut, and feelings, but I watched a lot of 'best of Eric' while writing this chapter, and I can't be held responsible. Thanks so much for all the love so far!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arriving at Fangtasia, Eric and Sookie headed straight for his office. Pam led Tara to the bar to sit with a trublood and get used to the press of humanity, gesturing for Chow to send Keith back to Eric. Watching the vamp as he headed to the back, Pam relaxed a bit about Eric stepping back from display-duty. She was under no illusions that it was anything but Eric’s magnetism that made the bar as profitable as it was; the service was decent and the atmosphere popular, but the untouchable nordic god presiding was the definitive draw. While Keith was no Viking, the rugged musician would catch the eye of most women, and he had a presence that demanded attention. Satisfied that her maker wasn’t about to tank her favorite of their business endeavors, Pam turned her attention to her new progeny. Pam had been around both her best friend and cousin quite a bit since Bon Temps came onto the supernatural radar, but she had not encountered Tara often prior to her turning. Pam was pleasantly surprised that Tara was as fun as she was turning out to be. Tara was almost as sassy as Pam herself, and while slightly less experienced with women, definitely as adventurous in the bedroom. She also had shown remarkable control for a two-night old vampire, which Pam was absolutely going to take credit for, even if she had no idea where it came from.</p><p>“How ya doing there cupcake? Holding up ok?” She probed.</p><p>“Well, everyone in here smells like ass. I can hear their pulses, and I want to drink them all dry, but I also don’t want to get my fangs anywhere near their stinkin’ selves. How do y’all deal with this? And the noise, like damn is everyone deaf?” Pam grinned at her Childe.<br/>
“You get used to the volume; compared to us, humans are very deaf. The stink in here doesn’t get much better though, only those poor saps who can’t do better feed from the fangbangers here. Leather and latex might look good on a body, but mix it with sweat and alcohol and I’d rather lick the shifter’s foot.” Tara gagged and the pair laughed.</p><p> </p><p>In his office, Eric pulled his standard employment contract from a desk drawer.</p><p>“We’ll have to modify this a bit for you, lover, but the basics will be covered. Standard salary for the industry, health and life insurance, we’ll need to change the time off policy noted though, as well as the schedule requirements.” Sookie looked at the pages he handed her.</p><p>“Bar manager? How much a year? Eric, this is too much.”</p><p>“Hardly. You said it yourself, you know how to run a bar, and you’ll be taking much over from Pam, with the advantage of being able to do quite a bit during the day. And as I said, it’s all industry standard, so definitely not too much. Frankly, I could pay you three times that and it still wouldn’t come close to what I think your time is worth, so you’re getting off easy.” He replied, grinning at her umbrage and inability to argue with his logic.</p><p>“Ugh, insufferable, impossible, great big jerk,” she muttered, sliding herself none too gracefully onto his lap. “Thank you, even if I think you’re being ridiculous.” She kissed him lightly, just as a knock came on the office door.</p><p>“Enter” Eric called, holding her when she tried to stand.</p><p>“Sheriff, Miss. I’m Keith.”</p><p>“Thank you for meeting us, Keith, this is my Sookie, the new bar manager.” Keith dipped his head at Sookie and she smiled in reply.</p><p>“How is your nest settling into the Area, Keith?”</p><p>“Very well, thank you, Sheriff.” Eric gestured to the chair across the desk.</p><p>“Please, sit. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, part of Fangtasia’s appeal with the humans in the area is the presence of a vampire in the throne on the dais. Typically, that vampire is me. But I’ve found that some of my other businesses are requiring more of my attention, and I think it’s time to…change things up a bit. I understand you and your nest mates are all musicians?”</p><p>“We are, Sheriff. We play a mix of modern rock music, some blues, some country.”</p><p>“Good, good. Not to be too blunt, but are they all as physically attractive as you?” Sookie tried to keep her face neutral but she couldn’t help the jolt of shock she felt at the impolite question.</p><p>“I’d say so, yes. James has more of the pretty boy about him, John and Pete are more scruffy.”</p><p>“Excellent. What would you say to the four of you rotating throne duty, and potentially playing some nights?”</p><p>“I’d have to check with the others, but that should be fine.”</p><p>“I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork and have it sent to the address you checked in with.”</p><p>“Thank you, Sheriff.” Keith stood and nodded, and was back out the door.</p><p>“Well that was quick,” Sookie was surprised, she thought job negotiations with vampires would take longer.</p><p>“It was a straight-forward deal, lover. Their nest is comprised of younger vampires who haven’t amassed much wealth yet, so still need to work, and they haven’t yet been employed by another vampire in the area. Working for their Sheriff is good business and good politics. Quite frankly, this was a no-brainer for him, and I expect to have a confirmed agreement before I die for the day.” Eric dipped his head to Sookie as his fingers started tracing along the thin strip of skin where her sweater met her jeans. “Now, what to do with the time we have left this evening, hmmm” Sookie giggled against his lips, one hand on his chest.</p><p>“Don’t you think you should make one last appearance on the throne before you deprive your adoring fans?”</p><p>“You are killing me, woman.” Eric groaned as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Fine, I will sit in that ridiculous chair and let them ogle me. But only if you sit up there with me.” Sookie scrunched her face up, but given that it was her idea, she rolled her eyes and stood.</p><p>“I’m gonna keep a running commentary of the weirdest things I hear, and you’re not allowed to laugh. It’ll ruin your image.” Sookie laughed as they walked hand in hand out the door.</p><p> </p><p>As the pair took the stage, Sookie lowered her shields to listen in on the patrons. As she expected, most were thinking about sex and blood. She could almost feel the ripple of awareness as they walked, more and more of the thoughts turning first to sex with Eric and then noting her presence at his side. She was pleasantly surprised to find, however, that a solid portion of thoughts turned to desiring her, either by herself or with Eric as well, rather than all the responses being nasty as she expected. While she’d never indulge any of the fantasies of the fangbangers around her, they were certainly preferable to the vicious criticism and envy coming from a fair handful of minds. When she and Eric had made themselves comfortable on stage, Pam and Tara wound their way over from the bar.</p><p>“<em>Did they take the job?</em>” Pam asked Eric in Swedish.</p><p>“<em>They will. I expect confirmation before dawn. How is she faring?”</em></p><p><em>“Well. Better than most, if I do say so myself. Though I will need to take her to hunt soon. No one should have to suffer through this stink on just trublood.” </em>Pam and Eric smirked.</p><p>“Really gonna have to learn Swedish.” Sookie griped, turning to look at Tara. “Or maybe you and I should learn a language these two don’t know so we can leave them out of conversations.” The two old friends grinned mischievously at each other.</p><p>“Make sure to learn all the dirty words, alskare, I’d love to hear you curse me in several languages as I drive your body wild,” Eric leered. Tara rolled her eyes.</p><p>“You’re a dirty old man, ya know that? Now it’s gonna be weird, and she’s only gonna want to learn nice words, and bible verses.” Sookie squawked in indignation.</p><p>“I will not! If I’m going to learn a language, I’ll learn the whole thing. I just may not choose to use the dirty words. And that’s my prerogative, so you can both just hush.” She humphed, crossing her arms over her chest. Pam lost her battle and laughed out loud, startling the patrons sitting nearby.</p><p>“You should learn Russian, Sookie. I’m pretty sure that whole language is dirty words,” Pam suggested. Sookie dropped her face into her hands, mumbling so quietly event the vampires heard little more than “impossible”, and the three chuckled.</p><p>“I’m going to take Tara for dinner, now. Will we be joining you later?” Pam queried. Eric considered for a moment, knowing that Pam was really asking if they’d be safer by nesting together, or if it would increase their chances of being found during their daysleep.</p><p>“Not tonight, I think. Sookie and I require a little…privacy” Eric responded, amping up the innuendo for any eavesdroppers, and possibly selfishly to see Sookie blush.</p><p>“Good luck with that, Sook. Don’t let him wear you out too bad” Tara winked at her friend. Though she had never been a fan of Sookie hanging out with vampires, she was coming to learn that Pam and Eric were the sort you wanted on your side, and Eric looked at Sookie like she hung the dang moon, which is all a girl could ask for for her best friend. Tara followed Pam as the blonde led the way out through the employee exit, excited to feed on something fresh. “Come on, baby cakes. If you pick out a cute enough one, I’ll teach you how to feed from the femoral tonight,” Tara licked her lips as she looked at her maker, raised her eyebrows, and took off running.</p><p> </p><p>Back in Fangtasia, one of the waitresses had brought a gin and tonic for Sookie, along with a glass of blood for Eric. Surprised that he didn’t get a bottle of trublood, Sookie arched an eyebrow and Eric looked back, almost guiltily. Sookie sighed, raising her second brow to meet the first.</p><p>“Perk of being the owner?”</p><p>“Some of the girls think that if I get a taste like this, I’m more likely to choose them later, especially as I haven’t taken anyone since the night you found me with Yvetta. I haven’t the heart to tell them that it didn’t help their chances back when they still had one, because it does save me from having to drink synthetic.” Eric’s posture refused to change, as they were still highly visible, but his eyes as they looked into hers were so sheepish, she had to snort out a laugh.</p><p>“Drink up then, Master Eric, wouldn’t want your devotee’s efforts to go to waste” Eric could feel the mischief and mirth playing along their fledgling bond, and smirked as he tipped the glass to his lips. Nothing compared to the sunshine taste of his part-fae beloved, but if he played up how good this tasted compared to trublood to get back at her snark, no one could blame him.</p><p>Sookie rolled her eyes as he finished his glass and set it aside, in favor of taking her hand.</p><p>“So, lover, are our guests giving you any entertainment?” Eric traced the lengths of her fingers as he felt her concentrate her gift.</p><p>“Sex with you, sex with you, sex with me and you, sex with Pam, sex with Chow, sex with…wait” Sookie grabbed Eric’s hand tightly. “There’s a were here, from the Jackson pack. She’s supposed to be scouting out the club, to make sure you’re here, but she wasn’t expecting to see me. I can’t tell who sent her though,” Sookie breathed out, trying to be quiet enough that no one but Eric would hear. Eric tipped his head to nuzzle at her neck, hiding his face as he whispered back,</p><p>“Can you tell if she’ll need to check in tonight? Will anyone notice if she gets picked up?” Sookie nodded, playing into the image that Eric was ready to feed from her and she was agreeing to leave by squirming slightly in her seat. He stood, pulling her up by the hand and leering. “Come, it’s time I took you home.” He nodded briefly to Chow at the bar, and tugged Sookie out the door and into the air.</p><p> </p><p>Once securely out of earshot of any supernaturals watching the club, Eric tilted his head down to Sookie’s.</p><p>“Tell me more about what you heard? Could you identify her if you saw her again?”</p><p>“Better, I know her name. She’s Debbie’s sister, Sandra Pelt.” Eric looked at her sharply. “I don’t think she knows about Debbie yet. She joined the Jackson pack with Debbie, but didn’t leave with her and Alcide. Sandra didn’t go in for the V use right away, only having some when Russell made them during brandings and such, so she’s a lot more together than Debbie was. She’s supposed to check in tonight to let a “her” know if you showed up at Fangtasia, I’m guessing because they expect you know Russell’s out.” Eric nodded.</p><p>“Well, alskare, it’s definitely good that we went in tonight then. We may not have gained a specific identity, but we’ve narrowed the board, and we know the Jackson pack is again involved.”</p><p>“And she was surprised to see me with you. Which means whoever she’s working for isn’t close enough to us to know about you and I being together.”</p><p>“Or they’re working with Bill, who doesn’t yet know you’ve chosen.” Sookie’s eyes snapped to his before dropping almost closed.</p><p>“Or that, yeah. I really ought to tell him, shouldn’t I,” Sookie worried at her bottom lip.</p><p>“Yes, min alskade, I think you should. Not only because you deserve the closure that conversation will bring, but also because it might push Bill’s hand if he is involved. I don’t think it’s coincidence that the night Russell is freed is the night after Bill believed the witches to be defeated, or right after he had once again gotten his blood into you. Bill’s never been good at holding his temper, especially not where you’re concerned, and while I think you asking for time surprised him enough to hold his tongue and possibly his plans, I think if we go to him to tell him your choice, I think we stand a chance of him impulsively spilling the beans, as it were.”</p><p>“You really think Bill’s behind this?”</p><p>“If not behind it, then at least involved, yes. There are too many things that don’t add up as far as Bill Compton is concerned, and I have not survived this long by ignoring warning signs.”</p><p>“I still think we should work the Alcide angle first.”</p><p>“We will. Even if we are sure the details of Russell’s location were not taken from him, with Ms. Pelt and possibly the Jackson Pack’s involvement, having a positive connection with the Shreveport pack is essential.” Sookie nodded and held tight as they touched back down outside the old cabin. “But all those things will wait until tomorrow evening, lover. For now, we have a few hours until dawn, and there are other things that require my attention.” Sookie looked up at him through her eyelashes, and smirked.</p><p>“Oh yeah, and what things might those be?”</p><p>“Well, these for starters,” he murmured, as he captured her lips with his own, backing her up against the log walls of the cabin. “and this,” he continued, as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. His hands, which had been braced on the small of her back, came around her hips and one started trailing up the front of her sweater until he reached her breast, “and these, oh these require extra special attention” Sookie cried out and clawed at his shoulders as he tweaked a nipple through the thin material of her bra.</p><p>“Inside, now, mister” she managed to squeak out, fighting against the sensation building in her that wanted to be taken without a care to their location. Eric grinned and blurred them indoors. “One of these days, lover, I’ll have you out in the moonlight again. The way you looked in the woods that night, give me another thousand years and I’ll still dream of that moment.” Sookie smiled at the memory, and the sweetness in his voice and gave him a gentle kiss.</p><p>“Take me to bed, Viking.” She whispered against his lips. He opened the trapdoor in the floor and flew them both down the ladder. As she had assumed, the doors on her left led to bedrooms, and Eric led her into the far room, which was clearly the master. The room was dominated by a large four poster bed, covered in heavy furs that reminded her of the bed in their bonding trip. Sookie didn’t see much more than that, because nearly as soon as she entered, he had lifted her into his arms and tossed her on the bed, laughing. HE crawled up to join her, trailing his nose up her body as he went, hiking at her clothes, until he reached her mouth. The kiss he gave her then was at once passionate and consuming, while also being fearlessly tender. Her arms automatically rose to wind around his neck, tangling her fingers in the short hairs at the nape of his neck. His hands set out exploring her body while he plundered her mouth, only breaking the kiss to lift her sweater over her head, and his shirt over his own. She couldn’t help but explore all the new skin exposed to her, her nails tracking lightly over his shoulders, down the firm lines of his arms, and around to his chest. When a nail caught his nipple, he hissed and Sookie grinned.</p><p>“I think you’re almost as sensitive here as I am,” she murmured and she brushed her fingertips back and forth over each nipple.</p><p>“Shall we experiment with that, lover?” He smirked at her and dipped his head to lave his tongue across one nipple, poking up against the soft cup of her bra. Sookie moaned and arched up into his touch. Apparently unsatisfied, Eric pulled the cups of her bra down, pushing her breasts out the top and sucking one nipple into his mouth, while his fingers rolled the other, causing a much louder moan.</p><p>“There we go, min ill alva, that’s what I want. Let me hear you.” And with that, any ideas Sookie had in her head about turning the tables on her Viking and driving him wild went right out the window. Eric put all one thousand plus years of experience to use, driving Sookie crazy with his lips and tongue, dipping his fingers into the waistband of her jeans to tease before removing them and her panties in one fell swoop. He trailed those gifted lips down, licking and teasing over her belly and hips, down her thighs, circling but not touching where she wanted him most. She groaned, and pulled at his hair, knowing that he wanted her to beg, but not wanting to give in. He positioned himself between her legs, kissing each thigh and grinning up at her,</p><p>“Come on, lover, you know how to get what you want,” he blew cool air across the surface of her heated flesh, tracing a cool fingertip around the outermost edge of her core. “Say it,” Sookie moaned, tossing her head back and forth on the bed, arching her hips towards his face,</p><p>“God, please, please Eric. I’m yours, just fucking touch me, please!” She finally cried, and then he was on her, devouring her sex like it was water in the desert. Sookie howled as the orgasm he’d been pushing her towards finally crashed over her, barely feeling it as he sunk his fangs into her thigh and drank. She was shaking and panting as she came back to awareness, with Eric still between her legs, licking the punctures closed, the tiniest bit of her blood still evident on his fangs when he smiled up at her. That really shouldn’t be so hot, she thought to herself, even as she pulled on his hair, pulling his face up to slam her lips into hers. Keeping one hand fisted in his hair to keep his mouth on hers, she slid the other down, intent on getting a handful of his gracious plenty, but she encountered his jeans, still in place. She groaned into his mouth, trying to fumble the button open, which made him chuckle. He rose and swiftly shucked the offending denim.</p><p>“I’m sorry love, is this better?” He smirked, returning to lie atop her.</p><p>“Much,” she muttered as she got her hands on him. She was absurdly proud as he moaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder as she stroked his hard length. While she kind of wanted to tease and torment him, turnabout being fairplay and all that, she was also desperate to have him inside her, and that urge won out as she lined him up with her dripping entrance. He started pushing into her slowly, always cautious about her taking his size, but she was having none of that. She thrust her hips upward, curling her legs around to push her heels into his perfect butt for extra leverage. When he continued to resist the feverish pace she was aiming for, she growled and bit his shoulder, hard. For a brief moment, she thought she won, as he sped up, slamming into her hard enough to push her up the bed. But he must have felt just how close her next orgasm was, because he slowed right back down, sliding in and out of her like they had all the time in the world. Sookie groaned her frustration and Eric laughed.</p><p>“What’s wrong, lover? Do you not like me being sweet to you? Being gentle, loving on you?”</p><p>“Ugh, Eric, I was so close! Please!”</p><p>“Oh my Sookie, you will come close many, many times before I am done with you tonight,”he chuckled darkly, “but you will not cum until I am good and ready to let you.” Sookie’s eyes went wide, both deliciously turned on further, and a little nervous. “Trust me” he whispered, and then proceeded to spend the rest of the night showing her just how good slow and steady could be.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was originally supposed to be two chapters, but neither felt quite the right length on their own, so one chapter with a weird break point in the middle. <br/>I have the beginnings of a companion playlist on Spotify, of tunes that I'm listening to while I write. Let me know if I should link that here.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sookie woke the next day buried under a stack of furs and pinned under an arm and leg of motionless vampire. She loved falling asleep next to Eric, loved curling into his cool body, feeling protected wrapped up in his strong arms; but cheese and rice was waking up with him dead to the world still all octopused around her a pain in the rear. She slowly wiggled her way out from under his heavy limbs and the mountain of blankets, some of which she was fairly sure were animals Eric himself had hunted, and creeped to the bathroom. Eric had said that they’d be alone in the safe house today, but she couldn’t find where her clothes were in the darkened room, and she was too used to living with people to comfortably walk around naked, even if she knew logically there was no one to see her. She and Eric had briefly showered before they went to sleep, so she was mostly clean, but Sookie decided a bath would be a good way to start the day, and would give her time to sort through what needed to be done to prepare for the meeting with Alcide tonight.</p><p> </p><p>Turning on the taps, she was amazed at the size of the tub. This was meant to be a safe house, a last ditch type location, not Eric’s main house, and the tub was still big enough for 3 grown people. (2 grown Erics, if she wanted to get technical) She couldn’t begin to imagine what the tub at his actual home must look like. Sookie sank into the warm water, letting the heat relax her pleasantly sore muscles. Leaning her head back against the edge of the tub, she let herself run over her list of things to do today. First, and probably the thing she was looking forward to least, she’d have to call Sam and quit Merlotte’s. She also needed to check in with her brother and Lafayette; they had decided that keeping the residents of Bon Temps in the dark for now was the best course of action, but those two needed to know she was safe and would be staying elsewhere for a bit, otherwise who knows what kind of mischief their worrying would get them into. She also needed to decide how and when she would talk to Bill about her choice. Eric was leaving that up to her, with the singular condition that she not do it alone. While <em>she</em> didn’t think Bill would hurt her, Eric was not convinced and wasn’t willing to take the chance. He had conceded that her company didn’t need to be him, though that’s what he’d prefer, as Sookie was worried that it would come off too much like gloating.</p><p> </p><p>Soaping up a wash cloth, Sookie pondered on that a bit further. If, after their talk with Alcide, they found that Bill was more than likely involved, then this talk with him would be at least in part about riling him up enough to reveal something. Looking back over her relationship with him, especially in those early days, the thing that got Bill most riled was whenever Eric was around to lay claim to something Sookie-related. When Eric made demands of her time, offered his blood to heal her after the Maenad, when she volunteered to go into the fellowship to save Godric; hell Bill had punched Eric in the face and delayed him from going after Godric just to “make a point” because Eric had gotten Sookie to take some of his blood. Sookie had a brief spike of guilt at that, a what if she had stopped Bill, could Eric have talked Godric down with those few extra moments, but she pushed it aside. Dwelling on Godric now wouldn’t help anyone. But maybe playing on Bill’s seemingly compulsive need to assert superiority over Eric would. Sookie’s upbringing cringed at the pettiness of gloating, or rubbing Bill’s face in the fact that she was choosing Eric, but if Bill was helping Russell, she thought the ends might justify the means in this case.</p><p> </p><p>Rinsing off and emptying the tub, Sookie wrapped herself in a towel and headed back to the bedroom. Figuring the light wouldn’t bother Eric, she flipped the switch and began hunting about for clothes. She found her jeans, bra, and sweater, but what remained of her panties would not count as wearable clothing so she dropped those in the trash. Not wanting to wear her sweater a second day in a row, she decided to look through Eric’s clothes for a t-shirt. She opened the door that she guessed belonged to the closet, and was surprised to find several shelves of women’s clothes, all in her sizes. For the most part, everything looked practical; jeans and t-shirts, plain sweaters, a pair of functional boots and sneakers. There were also a couple more naughty pieces, some negligees and a strappy leather number that she thought was supposed to be a dress. What she did not find was sensible underwear. There were itty-bitty thongs, and frilly, lacy hipsters, but nothing that would be comfortable under a pair of jeans. Rolling her eyes at her over-sexed vampire, she was struck with an idea. She turned to the section of the closet that held Eric’s clothes and found his underwear drawer. As she expected, there wasn’t much in it, but there were a few pairs of boxer briefs. Where he was long and narrow, she was a little thicker, but as she wiggled a plain black pair up, she found that his length was taken care of by her width, making them fit comfortably snuggly so they wouldn’t bunch under her jeans. She laughed a bit to herself, and then decided to go whole-hog, and wear a shirt of his too, even though he had clearly gotten shirts for her. She slipped into one of his red dress shirts, tucking the front into her belt line, and rolling the sleeves up about seven million times until the rested just below her elbows. You could definitely tell she wasn’t in her own clothes, but she felt sexy as all hell, and surprisingly powerful. Smiling to herself, she left the closet and crept back out of the bedroom, brushing a light kiss to Eric’s sleeping cheek on her way out.</p><p> </p><p>She wandered over to the kitchenette, where she found that although Eric didn’t have much in the way of human food, he did have oatmeal and cans of soup, which would cover her for her breakfast and lunch/ dinner, until they got additional provisions or moved to another house. While she heated the water for oatmeal in the microwave, she decided to call Sam.</p><p>“Merlotte’s, Sam speaking.”</p><p>“Hi Sam, it’s Sookie.”</p><p>“Sook, hey, how are ya?”</p><p>“I’m doing ok Sam. Listen, I hate to do this over the phone, but I can’t come back to work for you.”</p><p>“Sookie, I said I was sorry for what went down, and the reason for all that weirdness is, well it’s handled. It’ll be just like it was.”</p><p>“Sam, it’s not that. Its, look, I haven’t been a good employee for a long time, and we both know it. My schedule is a mess, most of the town doesn’t want to be served by me cuz now I’m not just crazy I’m also a fangbanger. There’s been a lot of danger in town, and a lot of it is my fault. And that’s not touching what will probably be coming after me in the future, a lot of supes know I’m a telepath now, and that makes me a prize to be won. I can’t keep putting innocent people in danger because I want to keep pretending to be normal. I’m not normal, Sam, I never have been.”</p><p>“You’re going to go work for the vampires, aren’t ya? Gonna be a dancing monkey for vampire Bill now that he’s king?” Sam’s voice down the phone line was vicious, and even though Sookie was expecting it, it still hurt.</p><p>“I’m not going to work for Bill, Sam. I’m going to work for myself, and I’m going to surround myself with people who care about me, all of me. People who don’t want me to pretend like I’m less than I am. I thought that would include you, Sam, but how can I expect you to accept all the things different about me, when you can’t even accept that I can make my own choices. Don’t worry about my last check, and good luck finding my replacement.” Sookie hung up the phone without allowing him a response. Her Gran would have given her what for over that lack of manners, but Sookie was so tired of people not trusting her ability to make decisions on her own. She was different, not stupid. She dropped the burner cell Eric had asked her to use down on the table and mixed her instant oatmeal. Sookie had known that Sam wouldn’t take her leaving well, even though she had heard he was seeing someone new, she knew he was still carrying a torch, along with a heaping helping of possessiveness for Sookie. And his prejudice against all vampires had only gotten worse the longer she was involved with them. She just hoped that her brother would be more understanding. He had grown a lot in the year she’d been gone; she wasn’t sure how he came to be responsible for the shifters in Hot Shot, but it had been good for him. The blonde finished her breakfast, and after cleaning up, picked the phone back up.</p><p> </p><p>“Stackhouse.” Sookie almost laughed at how terse her goofy brother answered the phone.</p><p>“It’s Sookie, Jase.”</p><p>“Sook! What the hell is Sam on about, sayin’ you quit and you’ve been nabbed by vamps?”</p><p>“He’s sayin’ what now!?”</p><p>“He tried to get me to pick you up, goin’ on about you bein’ brainwashed by the vampers to be a slave for ‘em” Sookie thumped her forehead against the table top.</p><p>“Dang it, Sam” she muttered to herself, “Jase, I have not been brainwashed. I can’t be glamoured, you know that, right? I told Sam that I quit Merlotte’s and he immediately jumped to me working for Bill. Which I’m not, but clearly he didn’t listen when I told him that.” She huffed again, beyond exasperated.</p><p>“Ok, well I’m glad you’re not kidnapped. What are you gonna do if you’re not at Merlotte’s though? Not sayin like you couldn’t do a million other things, just, you’ve never said anything about doing anything else, ya know?”</p><p>“Well, for right now, I’m actually gonna be the manager for Fangtasia. It’ll be safer for me, being closer to Eric, and it’ll give me more room to figure out what I want to do. I’m going to be staying with Eric for a little while too, by the way.”</p><p>“Sook, are you sure you aren’t being kidnapped? just, by Eric not Bill?” She laughed.</p><p>“I promise, not kidnapped. Remember I told you I’m with Eric now? That last night with the witch and what not, I felt like I loved them both and needed time to think, to figure out who I wanted to be with. I chose Eric, and I’m going to tell Bill, but I decided I didn’t want to be living just across the graveyard when I do. Bill’s got a bit more temper than I realized before, and I just don’t want to deal with that, ya know? So I’m staying with Eric, and I’m going from there.” Sookie knew she was stretching the truth, but as much as she loved her brother, he was still vulnerable to glamour and she didn’t want to put him at risk by knowing too much.</p><p>“Alright, fair enough. As long as you’re bein’ safe. I’m gonna wanna meet this Eric, ya know.”</p><p>“Jason, you know Eric, you’ve met him a bunch before.”</p><p>“Well, yeah, but not as like, Eric your boyfriend. Gotta let him know what’ll happen if he fucks with my little sister.” Sookie couldn’t help but giggle. Lord save him, he had no brains to speak of, but if he wasn’t the sweetest when it counted.</p><p>“Well, thanks Jason. I really appreciate you givin’ the shovel talk to a thousand year old vampire.”</p><p>“Hush up. I know it sounds dumb, but it’s my job as your big brother. Even if he could crush me without blinking.” Sookie snorted. He wasn’t wrong.</p><p>“And I love you all the more for it, Jase.” She paused for a minute, just enjoying the moment of things feeling ok with her brother. “So how are things with you, huh? Did you figure out what you were gonna do with Jessica and Hoyt?”</p><p>“uh, kinda. Jess came to see me last night. She, uh, well she’s not looking to be anyone’s girlfriend right now, which solved that I guess.”</p><p>“Oh Jason, sweetie I’m sorry,” of course the first girl he wanted to be serious with wasn’t looking for that.</p><p>“Don’t be, Sook. It didn’t feel right to be fightin’ with Bubba over a girl anyways, and it woulda been weird having your ex as my girlfriend’s kinda dad-thing. Maybe I’ll come visit you out in Shreveport soon, though. Don’t really want to keep dating around here, ya know.”</p><p>“Of course, we’ll have to have you out to Fangtasia, as long as you promise to avoid the girls I tell you to,” the siblings laughed, and Jason rang off.</p><p> </p><p>Sookie felt much better knowing that her brother was okay with her situation, and much as she liked Jess, that he wasn’t going to be dating Bill’s progeny. She couldn’t picture Jess being involved in anything shady, but then again, until recently she couldn’t picture Bill being involved in anything shady, either. A tiny, conniving voice in the back of her head, that sounded suspiciously like Eric, whispered that she should have encouraged Jason to mess around with Jess anyway; have her brother be an unwitting spy in Bill’s compound. Jessica’s naïveté was legendary, as was her inability to keep a secret, so if she knew anything about what Bill was up to, she was almost guaranteed to spill it to her bed partner. While she couldn’t in good conscience do that to her brother, she wondered if maybe Hoyt knew things he shouldn’t, things he probably didn’t realize he knew.</p><p> </p><p>She pulled out a notebook and jotted down a reminder to mention talking to Hoyt to Eric. She knew the name of the game right now was gathering information; Eric couldn’t plan how to take down Russell with no leads. She also noted down to talk to him about Sam. While it was obvious to anyone who asked that she hadn’t been stolen in any way, him going around saying things like that would get irritating fast, and stirring up bad blood in Bon Temps tended to end badly for her. The last thing they needed was a mob of well-meaning townspeople trying to ‘rescue’ her, or Sam getting Bill more riled than they planned to make him.</p><p> </p><p>She placed one last call to check in on Lafayette, but got only his voicemail. Checking the time, she realized he was most likely at work, so she left a quick message letting him know she wouldn’t be around the farmhouse for a few days, but that she’d be around Fangtasia if he needed her. Putting down the phone, she got up and stretched. It was only a little after 1pm, she still had hours to go until Eric would be up for the night. She wandered over to the desk, at first hoping to find something about the running of Fangtasia. She knew she and Eric had only signed the paperwork the night before, but she didn’t want to get used to not working during the day, and she was maybe a bit nervous about her duties as manager. She was disappointed when the only thing she found Fangtasia-related was the security feeds from around the club. She watched briefly as Ginger let in a cleaning crew, and then went to the stock room, ostensibly to take inventory. She watched the eccentric woman counting for a few minutes before her curiosity creeped up on her. Fiddling with the computer mouse, she shifted the monitors to show the camera feeds from her house. As expected, nothing much was happening on the property mid-afternoon, so she poked around to see if anything was saved from previous nights. She knew that Pam had been monitoring these feeds while Eric was amnesiac and staying with her, but since his memory came back, she wasn’t sure if anyone had checked to be sure there weren’t any unexpected visitors. If there were spies checking out Fangtasia for Eric, it stood to reason that someone might be sent to spy on her house, she told herself.</p><p> </p><p>Sookie was not what one would call technologically savvy, by any means, but after clicking around a while she found a folder that looked to have archived footage, saved by date. It took her another fair bit to figure out how to play back the video in fast forward without skipping - she certainly didn’t have the time to watch it play in regular time, but she worried that if she jumped around she’d miss something. Frankly, she was still a little worried that she’d miss something, if a vampire was on the property moving at vamp speed, she might not see them at all, but doing something was better than doing nothing to her mind.</p><p> </p><p>Eric found her when he rose, hunched on the desk, her face far too close to the monitor. She had her notebook next to her, the page full of notes, and she didn’t even notice when he walked up behind her.<br/>“Good evening, min alskade,”</p><p>“Ah! Cheese and rice, Eric!” She squealed, jumping in her seat. He lightly kissed the top of her head, chuckling at her flustered glare.</p><p>“What are you concentrating on so intensely that you did not hear me? I wasn’t even trying to be sneaky that time.” Sookie handed him her notebook,</p><p>“I was checking the security tapes from my house. I’m not real great at pausing at the right time to see a face, but there’s definitely been someone on the property the last few nights. I tried to get most of the time stamps so you could go back through, you’re more likely to recognize them anyway.” Looking over her notes, as well as the top notes about her brother and the shifter, Eric couldn’t help but be impressed. His little fairy was smarter than anyone gave her credit for, and her out of the box thinking would be invaluable in the coming days.</p><p>“This is excellent, Sookie. Have you been watching all day?” She smiled shyly and nodded.</p><p>“Well, most of it. I didn’t get up til almost noon, and I talked to Sam and Jason first, but after that, yeah.” Eric opened his mouth to say something else, but Sookie’s stomach rumbling stopped him and he frowned down at her.</p><p>“Did you eat at all today?”</p><p>“I had breakfast?” Eric rolled his eyes and ushered into a chair by the tiny kitchen table.</p><p>“You like chicken with noodles, yes?” He asked, as he pulled a bowl and a couple cans of soup from the cabinet.</p><p>“um, yes? Eric, are you, gonna cook for me?”</p><p>“Sookie. It’s instant soup. There are directions on the can. I may not be able to cook you a fancy four course meal, but I can make you this.” Sookie blushed a bit and looked down.</p><p>“Yeah, no I know that. You can do just about anything, I know. I just mean, you’re not grossed out? Bill never wanted to be around when I ate, let alone be the one to cook for me. I’m just surprised, I guess.” Eric stopped and kneeled in front of her, taking her hand in his.</p><p>“Lover, you know that I know you’re human right? And that humans need to eat food to be healthy?” She nodded, “and you know that I love you, and that because I love you, I want to you to be healthy?” She nodded again, “so why would I have a problem with you eating? Do I want to join you, no not really. Eating human food is the opposite of appealing, and much of modern food doesn’t smell even vaguely edible if I was alive. But nothing that keeps you healthy will ever <em>gross me out</em>. Understand?” Sookie raised her hand to his cheek as she nodded once more.</p><p>“Thank you, for loving me, for taking such good care of me. I love you so much” she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, but before it could turn heated, the microwave chimed. She giggled against his mouth, and he rose to get her dinner. Once Sookie was settled in and eating, Eric grabbed her notebook and turned back to the monitors to see if he could get any faces before they met with Alcide. The first couple sections Sookie had identified he was able to freeze on the figure, but they had their face either away from the camera or obscured, making it impossible to identify them. Finally, just as Sookie was rinsing her bowl out, a clip from the night after Russell was released yielded pay dirt. The petite brunette who had been running across the very edges of Sookie’s property paused for one brief moment at the edge of the cemetery with her face towards the porch, giving the camera a perfect view. It took him a minute to place her, but when he did, he knew Sookie would be furious. It was Violet Mazurski, vampire sister to Bill’s maker Lorena.</p><p> </p><p>After cleaning up the dishes from the dinner Eric made for her (Eric cooked for her! It was silly, but that meant more to her than any expensive gift ever could), Sookie moved to stand behind him at the desk, looking over his shoulder to see the freeze frame on the monitor. She could feel the tension in his shoulders under her palms, and knew instantly that whomever the woman on screen was, it wasn’t good.</p><p>“You know her, then?” She asked quietly.</p><p>“I do,” he replied, just as quietly.</p><p>“Are we tense because you’re worried I’ll be jealous and mad at you, or because she’s extra dangerous and I need to be even more scared?”</p><p>“I think you’ll be more mad than scared, but I don’t think it’ll be at me. Lover, you need all the facts, but I wish to protect you from this.” Eric reached up to place his hand over hers on his shoulder. She squeezed his shoulders briefly.</p><p>“Tell me.”</p><p>“Her name is Violet. She’s Lorena’s sister.”</p><p>“Lorena, Bill’s Lorena?” He nodded, “So Bill’s pretty definitely involved, then. No chance she’s just visiting her…nephew?… and was trying to sniff me out because of his connections to me?” She knew that was highly unlikely, but she felt like she had to ask anyway, just to be sure.</p><p>“I would not give you false hope, min alskade. With this and the other information we have, I am almost certain that Bill is not only involved, but instrumental in whatever is going on. I don’t know why he would be, but we never did discover what brought Lorena and Bill to Russell’s attention to begin with; it could be that Lorena and Violet owed Russell in some way, and now their line is paying it back. Whatever the reasoning, we have to assume their whole line is involved, which means Lousiana and Mississippi are both compromised.”</p><p>“Well, shit.” Sookie spun the desk chair so Eric was facing sideways and sat herself on his lap, tucking her face into his neck and breathing deep. He wrapped his arms tight around her, inhaling her as well, and the pair took a moment to just process, safely tucked into each other.</p><p>After a moment, Eric lifted his head, and looked down at the silk encasing his lover’s body.<br/>“Alskare, were none of the clothes in the closet to your taste?” She looked up and giggled.</p><p>“Oh no, everything was great, thank you! I just, well I kinda just wanted to wear yours instead.” She grinned, and considered briefly mentioning that extended past the shirt, but then decided that would make a great surprise for the end of what would undoubtedly be a difficult night.</p><p>“mmm, mine” Eric growled, before nuzzling kisses along her throat, inside the collar of the shirt. Sookie pulled his face up for one deep kiss, with a whispered promise of later against his lips, before standing and holding her hand out for him. “Time to meet the wolf?” He asked,</p><p>“Time to meet the wolf.”</p><p> </p><p>ESESESESESESESES</p><p> </p><p>Ludwig’s clinic didn’t look anything like what Sookie expected, at least not from the car. She had it in her head that it would be some old run down factory, warded in a ton of magic, like some Harry Potter nonsense. Instead, it looked like your run of the mill urgent care building - lots of lights, a couple nurses in scrubs outside on their break, big red cross over the awning. She did feel a slight tickle of magic as they drew closer, some sort of ward she assumed. Rather than approaching the front doors, Eric led her through the ambulance bay to the paramedic’s break room. Passing some nurses, she realized they were shifters, their thoughts the reddish snarl of feelings she was used to from Sam. They found Alcide sitting in the break room, playing idly with his phone. He stood and approached, like he was going to give Sookie a hug, but a good breath told him that would not be welcome. The barely audible growl coming from Eric’s chest wasn’t a bad hint either.</p><p>“Oh stop it. We do not growl at our friends. That goes for both of you.” Sookie narrowed her eyes as she glared back and forth between the two men.</p><p>“Who said anything about friends?” Alcide rumbled.</p><p>“I did. And both of you want to keep me happy, so you’ll both agree, keep it civil, and we’ll get on with our night. Sound good?” The two men glared once more at each other before looking at the petite blonde. If her stern words weren’t enough, the smile she wore said murder quite clearly, so they each nodded their agreement.</p><p>“Good, now. How much do you know about what’s going on?” Sookie asked Alcide as she sat down in a chair across from where he had been sitting.</p><p>“Not much. I got the call that someone had vandalized the parking garage, and when I got there I found that it was the area where he had been buried. There was the faint scent of vampire, but not much else. I closed it off until Eric got there, and that’s pretty much been that. I’ve laid low the past couple days, but as soon as you’re sure you don’t need me, I’m getting out of here. Janice and my pops packed up after I got back with Debbie, didn’t want to be back around that crazy, I guess, so I’m going head up to them.”</p><p>“That’s probably smart. We don’t know too much beyond that, but obviously someone found where we were keeping him, which means there’s a leak.”</p><p>“And you think it might be me? Weres are hard to glamour, and you know I’d never put you in harms way like that, Sook.” Alcide was incredulous that she thought he’d ever betray her.</p><p>“We know you’d never give anything away deliberately, Alcide. And while it’s harder to glamour a Were, it’s not impossible, which is why I’m here. I’ll be able to see if there’s something missing in your head, so at least we’ll know where to start looking.” He searched her eyes for a moment, before turning his attention to Eric.</p><p>“You gonna kill me if it turns out someone did get to me?” Sookie smacked Alcide’s chest.</p><p>“Absolutely not, there will be no killing of anyone today. We don’t growl at our friends and we certainly aren’t killing them, stop being ridiculous.” Eric just smiled.</p><p>“I’ll not be killing you today. You can’t help if you were glamoured, and Sookie would get grumpy if I did. Besides, burying the bastard was a flawed plan, it was never going to hold him forever. Can’t really blame you for something I knew was going to happen eventually.” Something pinged in Sookie’s chest, something was very off about Eric burying Russell, but she pushed it to the side to talk about later.</p><p>“Ok, excellent, like I said, no killing. What we will do, is ask you some questions while I hold your hand. I’ll need you to really visualize the memories and I’ll see if I can tell they’ve been messed with, ok?” Alcide looked back to Eric once more, then nodded at Sookie and offered his hand.</p><p>“Has anyone ever approached you to purchase that parking garage?” Eric started.</p><p>“I don’t think so, no.” Sookie closed her eyes and concentrated, faintly shaking her head when Alcide’s mind showed nothing amiss.</p><p>“Who was the last person to talk to you about the parking garage before you got the call about the vandalism?”</p><p>“Someone from Shreveport Parking Authority, had an issue with one of the meters” another shake from Sookie,</p><p>“Who called to tell you about the vandalism?”</p><p>“The property manager. He was annoyed and wanted to call the cops since the damage was so extensive, but I knew I had to check it out first just in case.” Everything Sookie was seeing in his mind was matching up, and she was growing both more relieved and more frustrated.</p><p>“Do you see anyone when you arrived at the parking garage that night?”</p><p>“No, which was weird. The property manager was supposed to meet me, but I went right to the damage and knew Russell was gone.” That memory felt weird as Sookie watched it, overbright and oddly distinct. She frowned slightly, and Eric knew to continue down that thought.</p><p>“You went straight to the slab he was under?”</p><p>“Yeah. It was all busted up when I got there.” Sookie frowned harder, that section felt real, slightly fuzzy and with a spike of adrenalin when he realized what the broken concrete meant.</p><p>“Did you see anyone between the time you called me and when I arrived?”</p><p>“No. I closed up the entrances and stayed close to the site.” Again, true. She looked at Eric</p><p>“The only thing that seems hinky is when he first arrived and saw no one. It felt too clear up until he got to the damage, and then it feels normal again.”</p><p>“So I did see someone, and they wrote themselves right out of my memory.”</p><p>“So it would seem. But now the question becomes, did they remove him before you arrived, and you saw them unintentionally, or did they need you to find him, and then removed that memory so you believed you found it damaged?”</p><p>“Is there anyway to figure that out, can you like, undo the glamour or something?” Alcide looked slightly panicked back and forth between Eric and Sookie. While his face gave nothing away, Sookie could tell Eric didn’t think there was anything possible, but she was not ready to admit defeat. If they couldn’t get anything else from Alcide’s memories, this whole trip would have been wasted, and she knew there had to be something more she could do. A page for Dr. Ludwig came over the clinic’s intercom, and Sookie couldn’t help but think about the Maenad.</p><p>“Glamour cannot be undone. Those of lesser skill can be circumvented, but the kind of skill needed to glamour a were would be stronger than what can be outmaneuvered.” Eric was saying.</p><p>“Wait! There might be something else we can try!” Eric looked at Sookie, perplexed.</p><p>“There was a Maenad who came to town, remember? And when she possessed people, they would forget, well, everything that wasn’t her influence. She had a hold of Tara, and Lafayette had her tied up in his living room when we got back from Dallas. Between Bill glamouring her and me trying to reach her mind, we were able to get in under Maryann’s ick and break Tara out. Maybe we could try something like that against the glamour!”</p><p>“The fuck is a maenad? Whatever, I’m game to try if y’all are,” Alcide muttered. Sookie looked up at Eric, her eyes wide and hopeful.</p><p>“I don’t know that it will work the same, or even at all. But it’s worth the attempt.” He turned and crouched a bit to be eye level with Alcide.</p><p>“Alcide, I want you to think back to the moment you arrived at the parking garage,” he started, pulling the wolf under his glamour. Sookie retook Alcide’s hand and dove into his mind, watching as Eric’s influence pushed him to remember.</p><p>“What happened when you first arrived?” Alcide’s memory followed the same too-clear scenario Sookie had seen before.</p><p>“I think we need to push on what’s fake, force him to see what’s wrong” she whispered.</p><p>“Alcide, tell me who you saw when you got to the parking garage,” he ordered. She watched as his brain tried to access the information, so he could obey Eric’s glamour, but kept running into the shimmer fake memory, that was starting to look to her like a screen. Eric kept pressing Alcide, and Sookie could see the fake memory screen almost peeling at the edge. She imagined grabbing the peeling corner and pulling it off. Alcide gasped and dropped his head onto his chest.</p><p>“Alcide? Alcide! Eric, what happened to him, is he ok?” Alcide groaned and lifted his head back up, squinting like the light was too bright.</p><p>“Damn, Sook. You get the job done, but at what cost?” Eric grabbed a packet of ibuprofen from a first aid kit on the wall, which Alcide took thankfully.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would hurt you! Did it, did it work? Do you remember?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think so. Go take a peek.” Sookie looked back into his memory, which now felt like his own. She watched him get out of his truck at the parking garage, just as a woman was helping a shape into a large SUV. The woman was slight, also a petite brunette, but this was not Violet. She had a southern accent when she glamoured Alcide to forget that he saw anyone when he arrived.</p><p>“They didn’t bring him in for the location, it looks like he caught them leaving. There’s a woman, loading something into her SUV. But how would the property manager know there was damage if they were still getting Russell out when Alcide got there?” Eric looked thoughtful.</p><p>“Did you recognize the woman?” Both Sookie and Alcide shook their heads no.</p><p>“She was very small, brunette. She reminds me of someone, but I don’t know who. She had a southern accent though, a real one, not like the weird fake one Russell used.” Sookie could feel the wheels turning in Eric’s head, but she could not figure where they were turning to.</p><p>“I know you had planned to leave town, but I think it might be wise for you to remain,” he said to the wolf, “the timing of the call summoning you and the actual escape from the garage is unusual. There may be more happening than we think, and they may have more use for you.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t it definitely be better for me to be gone then? Give them less to work with?”</p><p>“Perhaps. But you are a known entity, someone we can work with and know to watch. If they have to replace you in their plans, we will have know way of getting additional information.” Alcide nodded, but it was clear he wasn’t happy to concede the point. “For now, try to stick to your typical routine. I will check in with you on untraceable lines each night. Be sure you rescind any invitations to your home just before every sunset. If they glamoured you to get in the night before, this will reset it.” The two men nodded respectfully at each other, and Alcide leaned over to give Sookie a one-armed hug.</p><p>“You be careful, girl. And if the deader gives you a hard time, you call me.” Sookie rolled her eyes at her friend but then smiled.</p><p>“He’ll keep me safe. You be careful too.” Eric grinned, perhaps gloating a bit, at her confidence in him, then took her by the hand to take her home.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eric and Sookie arrived back at the cabin safe house to find Pam and Tara already downstairs. Eric caught his progenies up with their discoveries while Sookie tended to her human needs.</p><p>“So Bill’s even shittier than we thought. Well that’s just great.” Tara groused, shooting a look at Sookie. She didn’t want to pity her best friend, lord knows she had made some bad choices when it came to dating, but it was like what Sookie lacked in quantity of exes, she made up for with horribleness.</p><p>“Thank you, Tara, that’s a highly enlightening assessment of the situation,” Eric snarked.</p><p>“What? Everyone was thinking it, I just said it.” Pam rolled her eyes at her progeny.</p><p>“If Bill the bitch is at the center of everything, it seems, can we just kill him? Take out the lynchpin supporting Russell coming back, and everything they have planned will fall apart right?” Tara pointed at Pam, raising her brows in a universal sign of YES.</p><p>“Or we eliminate the best lead we have to get to Russell, and we don’t find him before he’s back to full strength and then he slaughters us all like cattle.” Eric stared flatly at the women of his line.</p><p>“We should start with him though,” Sookie suggested, “he’s definitely at the heart of everything involved, so we should investigate him, get some leverage or something. Figure out whatever it is that Russell has over his line to get their help. We should start with Hoyt, see what Jessica spilled, and I need to tell Bill he’s out of my life. Eric, I know I said I didn’t want you to gloat, but if you do, a bit, it’ll piss him off and he gets careless when he’s angry.” Sookie was quiet, resigned almost; they all knew Bill’s actions had brought whatever was coming to him, but to her it still felt like betrayal to manipulate him that way. Eric brought her hand to his lips for a gentle, comforting kiss, nodding his agreement.</p><p>“Not to rain on that parade, cuz I am absolutely on board with pissing that little piss ant off, but he is still King. Piss him off enough, he could demand you relinquish Sookie to him, or order your true death.”</p><p>“He’d need the Authority to sign off on my execution, which now that I am un-cursed will be difficult to obtain, near impossible if he cites a human as the reason.”</p><p>“And he won’t be able to make Eric hand me over,” Sookie added with certainty.</p><p>“Tinkerbell, I know Eric won’t give you up without a fight, but a King is a King,” Pam said.</p><p>“Not even a King can separate a bonded pair.” Sookie looked up at her Viking, her eyes unwavering.</p><p>“Sookie, min alskade, are you sure? A bond is forever, you should not make this choice out of fear, or as a tactic, because we cannot take it back,” he searched her eyes and the fledgling bond they already had, looking for any signs of doubt, but found none.</p><p>“I know what I want, Eric. I don’t know that I’m ready to be turned, or that I ever will be, but I am yours, and you are mine, and I don’t want anyone to ever question that. I want to feel you the way you feel me. I want to be able to find you, and I want to know you’re safe. I want this, Eric, I just need to know you do too.” He responded the best way he knew how, he kissed the living daylights out of her.</p><p>“What the heck?” Tara hissed to her maker, utterly perplexed.</p><p>“Sookie just accepted a blood bond. Think of it like an engagement, they’re committed for the rest of their lives, and they can feel and find each other, kind of like we can.”</p><p>“Forever sounds a lot like married, not engaged, Pam”</p><p>“Vampires have marriage, that’s separate. And usually isn’t forever, so it’s a whole different story. Just trust me when I say this is a big deal, and is going to make Eric very happy.” Tara grunted, vampire culture was so weird. But if Eric was this excited to commit to Sookie, she figured she couldn’t argue with that. As long as she didn’t have to watch them kiss much more.</p><p>“Ok great, you’re going to blood bond, congrats. Do we need a ceremony or something? Should we get a vampire preacher, a dress?” Pam bit her lip to keep from laughing as Sookie and Eric separated long enough for the shorter blonde to look up completely poleaxed.</p><p>“Do we need a special ceremony? Is this something that needs a lot of planning? Isabel didn’t mention anything like that, she just said blood exchanges, so I figured we could do it tonight” Eric grinned down at the tiny woman who made his unlife worth living.</p><p>“No, alskade, we don’t have to do anything fancy for it. We do need to do two exchanges, and there needs to be some time between them, so we can do one tonight and one tomorrow if you like. But there is one little bit of formality I’d like to observe, if you don’t mind.” She furrowed her brow in question. “I’d like it to be a surprise, and it would require I leave you for an hour or two this evening.”</p><p>“You’ll be careful? I don’t love the idea of you being on your own with no back up.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine lover. I won’t be completely without back up.” Sookie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but he just chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “you ladies stay here, do whatever ladies do, I shall return shortly,” and with that he flew up the trapdoor and off.</p><p>Pam motioned to Sookie to join them on the couch.”So cupcakes, do we want to continue conspiring against King Douchey-Ex, or do we want to do manicures and watch dumb movies?” With a laugh, Sookie crossed to the couch, chucking a pillow at Tara.</p><p>“Dumb movies for sure!”</p><p> </p><p>Eric left the safe house, heading in the direction of his main home. During the year that Sookie had been gone, he’d fixated on the idea that she’d be his eventually and had some gifts custom made for her, to give upon her return. Did Pam call it obsessive, yes, but he needed to do something to keep from going insane while she was missing, and this was better than ripping Bill to shreds repeatedly. Though in hindsight, they all might have been better served if he had destroyed Bill the moment he felt Sookie leave this plane. In any case, he knew that he had the perfect piece at his home. Reaching his front door, he keyed in the code for the front lock and stepped inside. The two story home was newer, nice without being ostentatious. Though he had purchased and furnished the home well before Sookie came into his life, he couldn’t help but think that providence or fate had helped him choose a home he was confident she would love. The ground floor held an enormous kitchen and living area, all with huge windows for an abundance of natural light. He had, of course, installed light-tight shutters for all the windows that could be drawn during the day should he need to be up and around, but when he was resting, she’d be able to bathe the house in the sunshine she loved so much. All the furnishings were dark wood and plush, comfortable but easy to maintain, and the patio led down to a marina on the lake. Call it the Viking in him, but Eric always preferred to live close to the water. He made his way upstairs to the master bedroom, and into the walk-in closet he had already designated as Sookie’s. He opened the carved pine box and pulled out the gift he had in mind. Smiling to himself he closed up the room and left, imagining the night he’d get to bring Sookie to see it, and everything else he’d gotten for her.</p><p> </p><p>His next stop before returning to the tiny blonde that made his undead heart want to beat was Bon Temps. He dropped out of the sky in front of Jason Stackhouse, who was reclining with a beer on his back porch.</p><p>“Jesus Christ, man! Warn a guy before you do that. Coulda shot ya!” The younger man exclaimed, having jumped and spilled his can of Bud. Eric politely did not point out that Jason did not have his gun to do any shooting, and even held back his eye roll at the officer’s jumpiness.</p><p>“Jason, I need you to clear your schedule for tomorrow evening. I will collect you just after first dark, and you need to be dressed finely. As if you were going to church.” Jason looked up at the vampire, perplexed.</p><p>“Sook mentioned there was some danger coming, but why does danger need me dressed up for church?” Eric contemplated how to explain bonding to what would essentially become his brother-in-law. And then he realized while it was not the same as a marriage, in Sookie’s eyes it would be just as binding, and it might mean something to her if he was to ask for Jason’s blessing.</p><p>“Tomorrow isn’t about the threats we’re facing, tomorrow is about Sookie and I. Sookie and I have decided to complete a blood bond, a permanent commitment to each other. We can’t get married in Louisiana yet, but this for a vampire is almost more than a marriage. We intend to complete the final exchange tomorrow night, and I know it would mean a great deal to her if you were there. It would also mean a great deal to me if I were to have your blessing.”Jason squinted at Eric, scrutinizing the vampire intently.</p><p>“You’re asking me for Sookie’s hand? For basically vampire marriage?” Eric shook his head.<br/>
“Vampires have marriage, it’s called pledging, and it’s different. Bonding is more; where a pledge or a marriage can be dissolved, a bond cannot. It is magic, a unity of two beings on equal terms. But I suppose, yes, I am asking for Sookie’s hand.” Jason nodded thoughtfully.</p><p>“Well, I already know you can take care of her, and if she’s agreed, I mean, she’d be the harder sell honestly. Girl’s so stubborn when it comes to leaning on anyone.” He huffed a laugh, “yeah, if you’ve convinced her then I guess I can’t complain. Welcome to the family, man” Jason clapped a hand on Eric’s shoulder, oblivious to the vampire’s distaste for contact.</p><p>“I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. You wanna hang in the meantime? I think I got some trublood in the fridge.”</p><p>“Thank you, but no. I must return to Sookie tonight. I also must ask that you not speak of this to anyone before the bond is complete. There are those who would not see it done and I do not wish Sookie to have to deal with that.”</p><p>“Yeah, I bet vampire Bill wouldn’t be too happy. You think he’d try to crash and interfere or something?” Eric nodded, “or Sam now that he thinks Sookie’s been kidnapped?”</p><p>“It’s a possibility.”</p><p>“Then you should glamour me. Don’t make me forget or nothing, just make it so I can’t talk about it. Jess tends to come ‘round and Sam’s been all up asking about Sook, and I don’t want to accidentally spill the beans.” Eric smiled, it was probably the smartest thing he’d heard the elder Stackhouse say. He obliged, and glamoured Jason to be unable to discuss Sookie and Eric bonding, or even acknowledge that he’d ever heard of any such thing. With some parting pleasantries, Eric took back to the air, directing himself back to his bonded-to-be.</p><p> </p><p>“You did not, Pam, oh my god!” Sookie shrieked at the cackling blonde woman next to her.</p><p>“Oh I did! And she turned me down flat. I was crushed. She would have been brilliant.” Pam was finishing the last coat of blood red polish on Sookie’s fingers while Tara lounged and Legally Blonde played in the background.</p><p>“Who would have been brilliant?” Eric inquired as he came down into the safe house.</p><p>“I was just telling Sookie here about my time with dear Ms. Witherspoon” Pam looked up and smirked, prompting a return grin from her maker.<br/>
“Ah yes, the delectable Reese. If I recall you seduced her and then tried to convince her to let you turn her, but she wanted no parts of it. We had to glamour your whole existence from her.”</p><p>“Yes, and it was tragic. See, I told you, fairy princess!” Eric and Tara laughed at Pam’s insistence. Eric walked over and dropped onto the couch, stretching his arm along the back behind Sookie’s head.</p><p>“Did you ladies have a good evening?” Sookie turned to him with a smile and a kiss.</p><p>“We had a great girls’ night. Pam’s got some hilarious stories and gives a mean mani-pedi.” She wiggled her freshly painted fingers and toes at him. He smiled and kissed the tips of her fingers.</p><p>“Eugh, if y’all are gonna start getting mushy can you take it to another room? Or can I get outta here? I don’t wanna see that sappy shit” Tara groused. Sookie smacked her on the head with a pillow, and the two women stuck their tongues out at each other.</p><p>“Ladies, please. Cat fights can come later, after we’ve sold tickets and gotten a jello pit,” Pam leered at the pair, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, while Eric rumbled at the suggestion.</p><p>“There will be no Sookie jello wrestling, Pamela.” All three women laughed at the ire in his voice.</p><p>“Well if you’re all going to laugh at me, I won’t tell you the plan for tomorrow, and you can all look silly while we look dashing.” Sookie stopped and narrowed her eyes at Eric.</p><p>“We who, mister?”</p><p>“Why, Jason and I, of course.” Sookie’s eyes got wide, “I may not be able to marry you in the human tradition in this state, but bonding, to me, is even more than that. While it’s not required to the final exchange, and I don’t plan for anyone to witness the exchange itself, I thought you’d appreciate having a few words of commitment beforehand, and that you’d want your brother to be there to witness it. I got his blessing and everything, which was a bizarre conversation all the way around.” Eric smiled bashfully at Sookie, and she couldn’t help but grin and throw herself into his arms, slamming her face to his for a heated kiss.</p><p>“And that’s our cue to vanish. Come on, Tara, our room is over here. Thank god he sound proofs all his houses.” Pam grumbled before she and Tara made their way into the second bedroom.</p><p>“Pam!” Eric called, breaking from the kiss before the bedroom door closed. She turned and lifted an eyebrow.</p><p>“Will you help Sookie get ready tomorrow evening while I go to fetch Mr. Stackhouse?”</p><p>“Sure, I’ll prettify the princess. You’re not planning to do this here are you?” At his blank look Pam scoffed, “No, no. if you’re going to make it a nice little ceremony it has to be somewhere gorgeous so I can take pictures. A couple hours at your main house won’t be suspicious, and you’ve got the lake out back that’ll be perfect. Besides, there’s a dress there that I want her to wear so I should just take her to the dress rather than running all over creation.” Eric barely nodded his consent before Pam jerked her head once and closed the door.</p><p>“Pam has a dress for me at your main house? And there were clothes for me here? How much clothing have you bought for me, Eric, jiminy Christmas.” He chuckled and grabbed her hand.</p><p>“When you disappeared and I was restoring your house, I had to replace your clothes there anyway, so I had Pam pick everything out and suggested multiples to keep at some of my homes as well. You tend to attract trouble and get covered in people’s blood, so it made sense to make it so you could comfortably change wherever we were? And then, you know Pam, she got carried away.” Sookie looked at him skeptically, but decided it wasn’t worth arguing over what was already done.</p><p>“Alright, but no more on the dramatic gift-giving. Not a kept woman, remember?”</p><p>“Lover, me giving you gifts does not make you a kept woman. You are my bonded, what’s mine is yours, and it is my job and my privilege to take care of you. But if it makes you feel better, I will limit making large purchases on your behalf.” Sookie smiled and opened her mouth to thank him but he cut back in, “but that does not apply to gives already obtained but not yet given. You can’t fight me on those, deal?” She frowned at him.</p><p>“What do you mean, obtained but not yet given?”</p><p>“I have things I have gotten for you, that I’ve not yet had the opportunity to give. Birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, a bonding gift. But since I’ve already purchased them, they do not fall under the realm of ‘large purchases’ or ‘dramatic gift-giving’ that I have to limit, that only applies to going forward.”</p><p>“Bonding gifts?” Eric quickly put a finger over her lips. “No, don’t start fussing. The greatest bonding gift you could give me is the one you’ve already given, yourself. That means more to me than anything money could buy. So we’re not going to worry about that, instead you and I are going to go to our bedroom, and you’re going to let me taste every beautiful inch of your body, and we’re going to do the second exchange. Yes?” Sookie answered by sucking the finger over her lips into her mouth.</p><p>“Only if I get to taste every inch of you too,” Eric grinned and swept her up into his arms, blurring into the bedroom and kicking the door closed behind him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you'd like to see Eric's house, it's a real house in Shreveport! 1726 Lakefront Drive in Shreveport, I found it listed for sale and fell in love. Almost makes me want to move to Louisiana.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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